S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                      6553
                                I N  S E N A T E
                                 March 19, 1998
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    Introduced  by  Sen. BALBONI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
      printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
    AN ACT to amend the civil practice law and rules, in relation to  creat-
      ing a cause of action for medical abandonment
      The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
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    bly, do enact as follows:
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 1    Section 1. The civil practice law and rules is amended by adding a new
 2  section 213-c to read as follows:
 3     213-c. Medical abandonment. Notwithstanding any provision of law  to
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 4  the contrary, an action to recover damages for personal injury or wrong-
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 5  ful  death  caused  by  the  arbitrary,  capricious,  negligent or other
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 6  tortious decision of a health maintenance organization or  medical  care
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 7  facility  to  withhold  or  diminish  medical  care  or treatment may be
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 8  commenced within three years from the date of  such  decision.  For  the
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 9  purposes  of  this  section, "health maintenance organization" means any
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10  person, natural or corporate, or any groups of such  persons  who  enter
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11  into  an  arrangement,  agreement or plan or any combination of arrange-
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12  ments or plans which propose to provide or offer, or which do provide or
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13  offer, a comprehensive health services plan; and "medical care facility"
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14  means a facility certified pursuant to article  twenty-eight  or  forty-
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15  four of the public health law.
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16     2. This act shall take effect immediately.
     EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
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                          [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                               LBD06705-02-8