Hannon was also a member of a national advisory panel on "Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: The States as Catalyst for Change", a joint effort of the Heller School at Brandeis University and the Program to Eliminate Health Disparities at the Harvard School of Public Health, funded by the Commonwealth Fund.

As for statewide and Nassau County efforts, Senator Hannon is active in promoting and protecting the public health of New York as the Health Committee Chair . The following highlight some of his recent legislative accomplishments:

          Spearheaded the passage of "Charity Care" requirements for
          every hospital in NY, so that those underinsured or without insurance
          have an opportunity for care. Usually a middle-class person out of a
          job, but still too "wealthy" for Medicaid.

Senator Hannon fought to ensure all New Yorkers have access to high-quality, cost-effective care. He was instrumental in the adoption of the Health Care Reform Act ("HCRA")   HCRA replaced New York's existing archaic, overregulated hospital reimbursement system with a deregulated system based on rates negotiated by providers and payers, and established pools of money to fund many of the critical health care initiative in the state.

Most importantly, HCRA funds helped to establish and maintain the Child Health Plus  and later the Family Health Plus program, both developed in part under the leadership of Senator Hannon. These nationally recognized programs provide health coverage for many children and adults otherwise unable to afford medical care. Enrollment in Child Health Plus has increased from approximately 90,000 in the mid 1990s to more than 400,000.  In 2008,
he backed the increase in the scope of coverage to 400% of the poverty
level.

With Medicaid serving as the primary payer of long term care costs, Senator Hannon sponsored legislation to increase the use of long term care insurance. He pushed for incentives to increase the purchase of long term care insurance policies by expanding the plan options available through the NYS Partnership for Long Term Care, by offering a higher tax credit to those who purchase a plan and through more aggressive public education and outreach.

Other insurance initiatives sponsored by Senator Hannon to promote access to quality care are: the Long Term Care Integration and Finance Act, providing greater public and private long-term care options for the elderly and chronically ill; the Managed Care Bill of Rights establishing the basis for the federal initiative to protect the interests of patients as well as provider physicians; and the External Review initiative giving managed care patients the right to an independent, external appeal of HMO denials of coverage for treatment.

Hannon created landmark legislation, the Patient Health Information and Quality Improvement Act  (also known as "Physician Profiling"), to extend patient access to information about health care providers, and to improve the quality of patient care. The law requires the profiling of doctors, hospitals and health care plans, creates a Patient Safety Center to establish statewide safety goals and recommend best practices, and closes existing loopholes in the reporting of practitioner misconduct.

Medical Research

Senator Hannon sponsored numerous laws recognizing the importance of medical research, preventive medicine and the treatment of diseases. These laws include measures to reform cancer registry reporting and  requiring the NYS Department of Health to set up a database about emergency room visits statewide, allowing the state, in the future, to better judge and plan for a range of illnesses, symptoms and accidents.

Senator Hannon also helped to create the Senate's landmark "Gen*NY*sis" program to promote biotechnology research in New York, to ensure the state will become a leader in the research and development of new life science technologies.

Furthering his commitment to increasing organ donation,  Senator Hannon sponsored the bill with established the NYS Organ and Tissue Donor Registry in law. The registry will allow New York to continue to partner with the United Network of Organ Sharing, which maintains the national organ donor waiting list ensuring available organs are matched with those in need. In 2003, Senator Hannon authored a measure, which established the "Life Pass It On" program, which designed distinctive license plates and established a fund to support organ donor education. In 2001, the Senator championed the bill, which generated the Donate Life Medal of Honor to honor donors and their families.

Senator Hannon worked to implement the federal program in New York in a way that further supports the state’s successful Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage ("EPIC") program. Enrollment was automatic for EPIC enrollees, which simplified the process for seniors and ensured beneficiaries access to all the advantages of the new federal program.

Senator Hannon has also played a vital role in expanding the EPIC program , by increasing the income limits. These changes make EPIC the nation's most comprehensive drug coverage program for seniors.

Senator Hannon has championed innovative legislation to promote electronic commerce and protect the privacy of individuals doing business on-line. Senator Hannon's Electronic Signature and Records Act of 1999 provides legal authorization for the use of electronic signatures and
records. This legislation positioned New York at the forefront of electronic commerce and paved the way for an analogous federal law in 2000.

Senator Hannon  sponsored the Internet Security and Privacy Act, which prohibits any state agency that provides an interactive computer web site from collecting or disclosing personal information concerning a person using the site unless the user consents to make this information available. Such strong privacy protections will allow users to be confident their personal information is secure when they communicate with their government on-line. It will also serve as an example for private sector entities to follow in protecting the privacy of individuals who conduct business with them on-line.

Throughout his leadership in the Health Committee, Senator Hannon has always focused on the importance of prevention. Senator Hannon co-sponsored the Women’s Health Care and Preventative Care bill which would provide women with direct access to OB/GYNs, improved coverage for cancer and osteoporosis screening and coverage of contraceptives as part of an enrollee's drug coverage.

Hannon sponsored legislation requiring health insurance companies to cover mammograms for women at high risk either because of a family history or due to their age. The bill also required insurance companies to cover re-constructive surgery following mastectomies. This legislation increases both a person's chance of prevention and survival of breast cancer.

 Senator Hannon supported the bill, which created the law establishing requirements for maternity care. Specifically, women are to remain in the hospital for at least 48 hours after giving birth, consequently mandating insurance companies to honor claims covering that minimum amount of time.

Senator Hannon he initially served as Chairman of the Committee for Housing and Community Development; previously he was the Republican floor leader in the Assembly, serving as the Minority Leader Pro Tem. An alumnus of Chaminade High School, Boston College and Fordham Law School, Senator Hannon is Special Counsel to the law firm Farrell Fritz P.C. in Nassau County and is active in community and civic affairs. He resides in Garden City with his wife Bronwyn and their twin daughters, Alex and Maddie.

Vote in 2006 General Election

Kemp Hannon                                                      40,277

Casilda E Roper-Simpson                                 29,656


Vote In 2004 General Election

Kemp Hannon, Rep 56,769:Ind. 3,089; Con. 4,692                         64,550

Charles J. Ferzola, Dem. 47,394; Work Fam 1239                         48,633
 

Vote In 2002 General Election

Kemp Hannon, Rep 38,467; Ind 2,581; Con 3,352                          44,400