Case Name: Cyril H. Moore, Jr., on Behalf of Himself and All Other Similarly Situated Employees of the State of New York Who Are Members of the New York State Health Insurance Plan under Major Medical Expense Group Policy 18250-G, Plaintiff, v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Defendant
Court: New York Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1972-08-21
Citations: 75 Misc. 2d 168
Docket Number: 
Parties: Cyril H. Moore, Jr., on Behalf of Himself and All Other Similarly Situated Employees of the State of New York Who Are Members of the New York State Health Insurance Plan under Major Medical Expense Group Policy 18250-G, Plaintiff, v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Defendant.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York Miscellaneous Reports
Volume: 75
Pages: 168–168

Head Matter:
Cyril H. Moore, Jr., on Behalf of Himself and All Other Similarly Situated Employees of the State of New York Who Are Members of the New York State Health Insurance Plan under Major Medical Expense Group Policy 18250-G, Plaintiff, v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Defendant.
Supreme Court, Special Term, New York County,
August 21, 1972.
Stephen R. Shestakofsky for plaintiff. Friend,- Post é Hopkins (John G. Paré and Edward T. Post of counsel), for defendant.

Opinion:
Francis J. Bloustein, J.
In. tliis action upon a group health insurance policy it is not contested that plaintiff received treatment from a certified and registered psychologist. Plaintiff seeks reimbursement for this expense upon the basis of section 221 (subd. 5, par. [e]) of the Insurance Law, effective September 1, 1969, as amended July 6, 1971. Plaintiff further contends that the policy, in effect, is renewed each year and thus is modified by said section. The import of the section is that if a policy provides for treatment by a physician for emotional disorders, then registered, certified psychologists are also to be included.
Defendant's contention that its policy, issued in 1957, is one complete policy and thus unaffected by section 221 of the Insurance Law is rejected. "Where an insurer has the absolute right to terminate a policy on its anniversary date (Western N. Y. Med. Plan v. Wikler, 8 A D 2d 988) each renewal of the policy is deemed the issuance of a new policy " (Gladstone v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 66 Misc 2d 656, 657).
Furthermore, defendant has failed to exclude specifically reimbursement for emotional or nervous disorders from its definition of illness or injury or covered medical expenses.
Accordingly, plaintiff's motion for summary judgment is granted.