Authorizes a prenatal and postpartum informational mobile application for individuals who are eligible for Medicaid.
Summary
This bill would require the New York State Department of Health to create and operate a statewide, New York-specific mobile application for prenatal, pregnant, and postpartum individuals who are eligible for Medicaid. The app would be membership-based and designed to provide education, resources, and support to users and their families, including links to state programs and other New York-specific information. The bill also directs the department, in consultation with the Commissioner of Mental Health, to include features that help users access state agency resources, receive targeted content, and interact directly with state agencies through the platform.
The bill requires the selected developer to make the app available on multiple mobile platforms and in multiple languages, and to provide aggregate, deidentified usage data to state leaders and agencies. It also includes privacy protections limiting the sharing, sale, or other processing of personal information, and prohibits disclosure of personally identifiable information to the department or other government entities except as strictly necessary to operate the app. The Department of Health would have to issue a request for proposals within 180 days after enactment, and the act would take effect on April 1 following enactment.
Impact
The bill would add a new section 2504-c to the Public Health Law and create a new state-run digital service aimed at Medicaid-eligible prenatal and postpartum populations. It would expand the Department of Health’s responsibilities by authorizing it to contract with a mobile developer through competitive bidding, coordinate with the Department of Mental Health, and disseminate maternal health and benefits information through a mobile platform. The measure would also affect privacy and data-handling practices for the app developer and establish reporting obligations for usage metrics, while cross-referencing existing social services and executive law provisions on content standards and language access.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill, as the Assembly Health Committee approved it unanimously by a 24-0 vote and referred it to Ways and Means. No committee transcript is available, but the bill’s framing as a maternal health and benefits-access tool indicates a generally favorable policy posture centered on improving outreach, education, and service navigation for Medicaid-eligible families.
Contention
No explicit opposition appears in the provided materials, and the unanimous committee vote suggests limited visible controversy at this stage. The main policy issues implicit in the bill are likely implementation and privacy: whether the state should build and maintain a dedicated mobile app, how much data the developer may collect and report, and whether the privacy safeguards are sufficient given the app’s health-related purpose. Another likely point of discussion is the cost and procurement process, since the bill requires a competitive RFP and referral to Ways and Means.
Requires licensed health care professionals providing prenatal care to offer and screen, upon request, pregnant patients with history of depression for postpartum depression.