NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A1451
SPONSOR: Jones
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the elder law, in relation to the powers of the commis-
sioner of health in administering the elderly pharmaceutical insurance
coverage program
 
PURPOSE:
To allow those applying for the elderly pharmaceutical insurance cover-
age program to do so through an online application
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the Elder Law by authorizing the Commissioner of Health
to establish and maintain an electronic online system for registering
for the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage program.
Section 2 provides an immediate effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program provides
seniors with co-payment assistance and Medicare Part D covered
prescription drug costs. According to the Department of Health, the EPIC
Program helps more than 327,000 seniors.
Currently, to apply for the EPIC Program, a person must submit a
completed application via fax or postal mail. This legislation allows
applicants to continue to apply through these means, but also provides
the option for an online application.
This bill would update an antiquated application program, allowing for
senior citizens to apply online. In a continuously growing technological
world, the EPIC Program's application program remains antiquated. Deliv-
ering applications via postal mail and fax can be a time consuming and
unwieldy process. By giving our seniors the option to apply online, they
can receive instant notification and peace of mind that their applica-
tions have been delivered and will be processed in a timely manner
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
10/23/19 referred to aging
01/08/20 referred to aging
02/25/20 reported referred to ways and means
01/06/21 referred to aging
01/05/22 referred to aging
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1451
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 17, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. JONES -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Aging
AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to the powers of the commis-
sioner of health in administering the elderly pharmaceutical insurance
coverage program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 244 of the elder law, as added by
2 section 3-h of part A of chapter 59 of the laws of 2011, is amended to
3 read as follows:
4 4. implementing alternative program improvements for the efficient and
5 effective operation of the program in accordance with the provisions of
6 this title, which shall include, but not be limited to, the establish-
7 ment and maintenance of an electronic online system for registration
8 into the program. The existence of the electronic online system author-
9 ized by this section shall not require applicants to utilize such
10 system;
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02515-01-3