Bill > A03346

This bill establishes a comprehensive health care disparities data collection system in New York State designed to gather and publicly share detailed information about health care access and outcomes across different demographic groups. The system requires health insurers, healthcare facilities, and public insurance programs to collect and report data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, disability status, and sexual orientation. This data will include information such as subscriber numbers, patient health outcomes, program enrollment and retention rates, and other health quality metrics. The Department of Health will create a publicly accessible website where this data can be viewed, with the goal of helping consumers make more informed healthcare choices and allowing policymakers to better understand and address healthcare disparities. The data collection will be voluntary for patients, who cannot be denied services for not providing demographic information, and the department will consult with stakeholder groups to ensure the data is presented in a clear, useful manner. Importantly, the system is designed to protect individual privacy by restricting the dissemination of any data that could reveal personal information about specific consumers.