ALBANY – The medical bills of drunken drivers injured in accidents would be covered by auto insurers under a bill quietly passed by the state Legislature.
The little-noticed legislation has insurance companies livid, and they’re urging Gov. Pataki to veto the measure.
Pataki spokesman Joseph Conway said the governor has not yet taken a position on the legislation.
“This runs completely counter to every piece of drunk-driving legislation enacted in this state or nationally in the last 20 years,” said Robert Hartwig of the Insurance Information Institute.
It also means that New York’s auto-insurance rates – already the second highest in the nation – will rise, Hartwig warned.
“Sober drivers will now be forced to pay for the medical costs of drunks,” he said. “It’s beyond comprehension.”
But health-care providers argue that hospitals shouldn’t be left to wonder if they’ll be paid for giving emergency treatment to injured drunken drivers.
Current law prohibits providers from receiving compensation for their services under no-fault auto-insurance policies if the injured driver was intoxicated.
Injured drunken drivers have to either pay for medical care out of pocket, or with their own health insurance.
If signed by Pataki, auto-insurance companies would now be required to cover the first 48 hours of medical treatment for injured drivers – including those who were drunk.
The legislation was passed unanimously by the Assembly in May, and was one of dozens of bills approved by the Senate last month in the crush to wrap up the legislative session.
In his memo in support of the bill, Assembly sponsor Alexander “Pete” Grannis (D-Manhattan) said there is scant evidence the existing law deters drunken driving.
At the same time, he wrote, the current law is unfair to hospitals, which are required by law to treat patients with life-threatening injuries.
But Hartwig said hospitals can dip into a pool for indigent care if an injured drunken driver can’t pay the bill.