New York Senate Bill S07671

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/28/25
• Refer: 4/28/25

Caption

Requires the commissioner of health to produce a report on the utilization and activity of the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program, including future enrollment and program cost projections, and to publish such report and deliver the report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly.

Summary

This bill would amend the New York Elder Law to require the Commissioner of Health to prepare a detailed report on the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program, commonly known as EPIC. The report would cover program years 2022 through 2026 and would include enrollment data broken down by marital status, income, and age; the number of enrollees receiving federal income-related subsidies; participation through the Medicare Savings Program; claims distribution by pharmacy type; county-level counts of participating pharmacies, recipients, and payments; administrative cost-containment efforts; and an evaluation of contractor performance and outreach effectiveness. The bill also requires the report to include projections for enrollment and program costs for 2027 and 2028. The completed report must be posted on the Department of Health website and delivered to the Governor, the Temporary President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly by January 31, 2027. The act would take effect immediately, but it is a reporting and oversight measure rather than a direct change to benefit eligibility or coverage rules.

Impact

The bill does not alter substantive eligibility, benefits, or funding formulas for the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program. Instead, it adds a new reporting requirement to the Elder Law, creating a statutory obligation for the Department of Health to collect, analyze, and publish program utilization, administrative, and cost data, along with forward-looking projections. Its practical effect is to increase transparency and legislative oversight of EPIC and related pharmacy assistance spending, while potentially informing future policy or budget decisions affecting seniors, pharmacies, contractors, and program administrators.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be a neutral, oversight-oriented proposal with no evident partisan controversy in the available record. The bill’s focus on data collection, public reporting, and program evaluation suggests it is intended as a management and accountability tool rather than a policy shift. Because there are no transcripts or voting results provided, there is no documented opposition or support to indicate broader sentiment beyond the bill’s administrative purpose.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials. If concerns were raised, they would most likely center on the administrative burden of compiling the report, the cost of producing projections and evaluations, or the adequacy and accuracy of the data collected from contractors, pharmacies, and program participants. Supporters would likely emphasize transparency, fiscal oversight, and better information for assessing the program’s effectiveness and future costs.