Bill > A3261

Introduced Session

This bill establishes requirements for counties to make medical identification cards available to county residents. Residents will be permitted, but not required, to obtain, carry, and update a card as appropriate. The cards are to include any information relevant to the provision of health care and treatment to the resident that the resident identifies and chooses for inclusion. The medical identification cards are to be in a design and format as specified by the Commissioner of Health, include a photo of the cardholder, and include any information the cardholder chooses to provide. This information may include, but will not be limited to: the cardholder's blood type; current medications; medical devices and medical implants present in the cardholder's body; allergy information, including specific medication, food, plant, and insect allergies; any illnesses or other health conditions that may impact the provision of health care or treatment to the cardholder; medication restrictions, including restrictions on the administration of narcotic drugs if the cardholder is in recovery from an alcohol or substance use disorder; contact information for the cardholder's primary care provider and emergency contacts; and any other information the cardholder chooses to include. Counties will be permitted to charge a fee to provide medical identification cards, which is not to exceed the actual cost to the county of providing the card. Nothing in the bill is to be construed to require any person to obtain a medical identification card or to disclose any health or medical information in connection with a request for a new or updated medical identification card. The bill provides immunity from civil and criminal liability and administrative disciplinary action for any act or omission undertaken in good faith in connection with the issuance or update of a medical identification card, or in connection with the provision of medical care or treatment in reliance on the information included in a medical identification card. Information provided in connection with a request for a new or updated medical identification card is to be kept confidential. Any person who knowingly uses or discloses this confidential information without the consent of the cardholder will be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to 18 months, up to a $10,000 fine, or both. Theft of a medical identification card will be a crime of the third degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for three to five years, up to a $15,000 fine, or both.

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Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee (on 02/12/2018)