Hochul signs law requiring insurance coverage for dyslexia exams

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Dyslexia Diagnosis Access Act into law. Starting January 1, the legislation—S5481A/A2898A—requires commercial health insurers to cover neuropsychological tests that diagnose dyslexia in New York.

Conducted over two days, they test how well kids read and evaluate their learning needs. The Dyslexia Diagnosis Access Act targets the high costs that make such tests inaccessible for many families statewide.

"Parents like me with a dyslexic child generally have to shell out anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000 or more for neuropsychological exams used to accurately diagnose dyslexia,” said Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who sponsored the bill in the State Senate.

Before this law, most private insurers opted not to cover these tests, so families paid out-of-pocket. Nor do schools assess their students to the degree necessary to definitively diagnose dyslexia.

Experts in the field agree that dyslexia needs to be identified early and accurately. Without the proper testing, they are likelier to struggle in class, rely on social services, and experience anxiety and depression, according to Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Robert Carroll. But with the proper treatment, they're more likely to graduate and less likely to be incarcerated.

In 2016, the Internation Dyslexia Assocation said that 15% to 20% of the population has symptoms of dyslexia, like slow or inaccurate reading, weak spelling, or poor writing. New York is the first state that requires health insurance carriers cover these specific tests.

Hoylman-Sigal and Carroll sponsored the bill after working with parents of children with dyslexia. Carroll himself was diagnosed with dyslexia in 1993, and he said that it doesn't make sense that the necessary test remains unavailable for so many parents trying to help their kids succeed. "I was fortunate as a child that my family had the resources to pay for a neuropsychological exam," he said.

Hochul signed the dyslexia bill as part of a legislative package that she said would make raising a family more affordable in New York. S2279C/A43C requires that packaging clearly lists the materials used to manufacture diapers or be fined $1,000. S4667A/A4099A expands childcare access by removing unnecessary wait lists for receiving public assistance. And S5992A/A6168A gives mothers safe access to doulas during childbirth and post-delivery care.