Newly-elected Governor Hochul has some 400 bills (passed during the legislative session) awaiting final action and the NYS Council has been leading efforts to ensure our two bills are enacted. 

OMIG Reform Bill – A7889A/S4486B
The NYS Council, along with our colleagues at COMPA, continues to co-lead a large coalition of organizations that represent providers across the NYS healthcare system, that support this bill that would strengthen the rights of providers subject to OMIG audits. The bill passed unanimously in both houses of the NYS Legislature, however the Administration has indicated they still have some concerns with the legislation. 

Model Contract Transparency Bill – A9442 (Gottfried)/A9297 (Rivera)
Earlier this year, the NYS Council successfully advocated with DoH and the Governor’s Office to ensure that prior overpayments of behavioral health funds made to health plans were recouped and returned to the two state agencies. Through that process the NYS Council learned the state had changed the terms of the BH Model Contract – the document that lays out the requirements on plans that participate in our carve in (including having to meet expenditure targets) without stakeholder input or knowledge. Our Model Contract bill would require the state to inform the public of changes it intends to make to the Model Contract, by posting Notices in the State Register and on the DoH website.

In order to allow appropriate time for all Employers to submit claims for Vesting Period 1 and 2, the Department of Health will keep the Healthcare Worker Bonus (HWB) Portal open to claims submissions until November 30.  Qualified Employers can continue to submit claims for eligible employees during this time. Please be advised that, in accordance with SOS § 367-w(4)(f), claims submitted after October 31, 2022 for Vesting Period 1 and 2 are technically late for filing purposes. The Department is aware of several technical issues during the initial submission periods for Vesting Periods 1 and 2 that impeded the ability of certain Qualified Employers to submit claims. All Employers should document and retain information regarding the reason for any late submission for audits and investigation purposes relating to the submission of claims for the HWB Program.