Two Seawright Insurance bills signed into law Scrapbook

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law two bills sponsored by freshman Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright that work together to ease the costs of a changing insurance market on small businseses and school districts.

The legislation responds to the Affordable Care Act’s recommendation to redefine small groups from those containing 100 or fewer employees to those containing 50 or fewer employees. Seawright’s legislation allows those employers who presently use stop-loss/reinsurance programs and will be affected by the change (those who employ between 51 and 100 individuals) to continue their existing cost effective coverage.

The bills, which were sponsored in the Senate by Senator James L. Seward, received support from the Council of School Superintendents, NYSUT, NYS School Boards Association, Cigna, and NYS Association of School Business Officials and passed the Assembly and Senate with an overwhelming majority of votes.

The governor’s signing of the two bills marks the conclusion of a successful first session in Albany for Seawright, who sponsored five bills last session that were signed into law.