State Budget Deal Close
With the current “extender” for the New York State Budget set to expire at midnight on Friday, April 27th, the State Legislature and Governor were feverishly negotiating to finalize a Budget deal. On Thursday night, the Governor announced that there had been a “conceptual agreement” on the Budget, with some policy details still to be finalized.
Once bills are officially in print, MSSNY staff will provide to physicians a detailed summary of the disposition of the following issues that had been proposed in the Executive Budget and strongly opposed by MSSNY and many other allies, and the subject of grassroots opposition by thousands of physicians across the State:
- The enormous number of scope of practice expansions contained in Part W of the Health Executive Budget bill. Both the Assembly and Senate recommended that these proposals be removed from the Budget. Until the Budget agreement is final, physicians should continue to urge their legislators to oppose these provisions here: Oppose Part W of Heath Executive Budget Bill – Preserve Physician-Led Team Care (p2a.co)
- The elimination of “prescriber prevails” protections for prescriptions written for patients covered by Medicaid, contained in Part D of the Health Executive Budget bill. Both the Assembly and Senate recommended that this proposal be removed from the Budget.
- The requirement for acquisitions by, and of, a private physician practice to be authorized by the NYS Department of Health, contained in part M of the Health Executive Budget Bill. Both the Assembly and Senate recommended that these proposals be removed from the Budget. However, MSSNY was advised that the Executive has continued to press the Legislature to include a reporting requirement to DOH of “material” practice transactions that exceed a certain financial threshold. Until the Budget agreement is final, physicians should continue to urge their legislators to oppose these burdensome potential requirements here: Protect Private Practice In New York! (p2a.co)
We will also report on the final disposition of several items supported by MSSNY that were either in the Executive Budget and/or included in the Assembly and Senate “one-House” Budgets, such as:
- Continuing MSSNY’s Committee for Physicians Health.
- Continuing the Excess Medical Malpractice Insurance Program for another policy year.
- Continuing the expanded level of funding ($16M) for the Doctors Across New York medical student loan repayment program.
- Creating a Health Insurance “Guarantee Fund” to provide patients and physicians protection in the event of a health insurer insolvency.
- Increasing cigarette taxes by $1/pack (the Governor reported that this part of the final Budget deal).
- Extending funding for the Veterans Mental Health Training Initiative that MSSNY has participated in together with the NYS Psychiatric Association and National Association of Social Workers.
- Prohibiting health insurers from denying patients needed care unless it has been reviewed by a physician in the same or similar specialty as the physician providing the care.
