Provides lifetime, premium-free insurance through the New York state of health marketplace to a person who donates a kidney during the course of their lifetime; establishes the kidney donor insurance fund.
Summary
This bill would create a new state benefit for living kidney donors in New York. Any person who donates a kidney as a live donor would become eligible, after the donation, for lifetime health insurance through the New York State of Health marketplace, with the state paying the full premium. The coverage would be the highest available gold-level plan and would include prescription drug coverage. The bill specifies that neither the donor nor the donor’s employer would be responsible for premiums.
To finance the benefit, the bill establishes a new special fund in the state finance law called the Kidney Donor Insurance Fund, jointly overseen by the Commissioner of Health and the Superintendent of Financial Services. The fund would receive appropriations, transfers, and any gifts or grants allowed by law, and its monies would be used to pay the costs of providing the insurance. The act would take effect immediately and apply to live kidney donations made on or after the effective date.
Impact
The bill would amend the Public Health Law by adding a new section creating a lifetime health insurance entitlement for living kidney donors, and it would amend the State Finance Law to establish a dedicated fund to pay for that coverage. It would shift the cost of post-donation health coverage from donors and employers to the state, and it would require state agencies to administer and finance the program through the New York State of Health marketplace and the new Kidney Donor Insurance Fund. The practical effect would be to create a new state-funded benefit for a specific class of organ donors and to add an ongoing fiscal obligation to the state budget.
Sentiment
The available context shows a generally supportive posture toward the bill, as reflected by its introduction by multiple senators and its framing as an incentive and protection for living kidney donors. No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no documented opposition or recorded floor debate in the provided materials. The bill’s structure suggests it is intended as a donor-support measure rather than a broad health insurance reform.
Contention
The main likely point of contention is fiscal: the bill requires the state to pay lifetime premiums for eligible donors and to maintain a dedicated fund to cover those costs. Related questions may include how the program would be financed, whether lifetime coverage is an appropriate incentive for donation, and how eligibility and administration would be handled by the Department of Health and the Department of Financial Services. No specific objections are documented in the provided record, but budget impact and program design would be the most probable areas of debate.
Same As
Provides lifetime, premium-free insurance through the New York state of health marketplace to a person who donates a kidney during the course of their lifetime; establishes the kidney donor insurance fund.
Provides lifetime, premium-free insurance through the New York state of health marketplace to a person who donates a kidney during the course of their lifetime; establishes the kidney donor insurance fund.
Provides lifetime, premium-free insurance through the New York state of health marketplace to a person who donates a kidney during the course of his or her lifetime; establishes the kidney donor insurance fund.
Authorizing the State Workers' Insurance Board to make available health insurance policies for purchase by the general public; providing for premiums; and authorizing a loan from the State Workers' Insurance Fund.