NYS COUNCIL STATEMENT ON THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY
ONE HOUSE PROPOSALS
The NYS Council applauds both houses of the New York State Legislature for their one house budget proposals that support an 8.5% Cost of Living Adjustment for our essential mental health and substance use disorder/addictions workforce employed in community-based agencies around the state. We are also delighted that both houses have prioritized a set aside of funding for community-based organizations from the proposed $1B Statewide Healthcare Facilities Transformation Program-V.
Members of the NYS Council are heartened that both houses support the expansion of the NYS Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Program (CCBHC) – a federal demonstration program that has expanded access to evidence-based care and improved the quality of care for New Yorkers located in communities with these services. We call on the Governor and the Senate to match the Assembly proposal that would increase the funds made available for this Program by $10M so more communities around the state can benefit from this game changing model of care.
Both houses have a long history of ensuring New Yorkers have equal access to services. As such, we are concerned that the Assembly has omitted a group of insurance-related proposals that would ensure access to behavioral health care for New Yorkers with commercial insurance benefits. Going forward, the NYS Council will continue to lead efforts to ensure the Network Adequacy proposal that would require NYS to modernize the standards insurers must meet while we push for stepped up enforcement of these guardrails. Without these changes, New Yorkers will continue to sit on waiting lists instead of getting timely care they need and are entitled to. We thank the Senate for seeing the importance of the insurance proposals.
We urge state leaders to increase rates for mental health and substance use disorder programs that are financially stressed due to a historic lack of investment in our sector. Waiting lists for care are the direct result of inadequate rates that tie our hands when attempting to recruit and retain staff. At the present time we are not competitive with other businesses where the work is less demanding, and salaries are much better. We are hemorrhaging staff, and this must change.
Finally, we implore state leaders to prioritize additional investments to arrest the deadly Opioid Epidemic that is ravaging our communities. The Senate has proposed $40M to address the priorities of the Opioid Advisory Board and we implore the Governor and the Assembly to match this investment. Lawmakers should also make investments in primary prevention services, and address waiting lists for care by making resources available to expand treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services to reverse troubling data that confirms New York has failed to reverse this lethal public health crisis.