Bill > A01963

This bill establishes a comprehensive universal newborn nurse home visiting program in New York State designed to support families with newborns. The program will provide voluntary, free home visits by registered nurses to families with newborns up to six months old, offering at least one visit during the first three months of life with the option for up to three additional visits. These home visits are aimed at improving various outcomes including child health, development, family economic self-sufficiency, parenting skills, and reducing risks like child mistreatment and family violence. The bill requires all health insurance policies to cover these services without any cost-sharing, and insurers must notify families about the services when they add a newborn to their plan. The program is flexible and will be designed to meet the needs of different communities, with services based on evidence-based criteria from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Importantly, participation is entirely voluntary, and families cannot be penalized for declining the services. The Department of Health will collect and analyze data to assess the program's effectiveness, and the state may seek federal waivers to help fund the program. Insurers will be required to report data about the services and can use various payment methodologies to reimburse providers.