March 4, 2021

This morning during our weekly NYS Council Member Support and Public Policy call, we discussed the work the NYS Council did leading up to the testimony I presented on 2/25 to the members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee that is charged with examining executive budget proposals pertaining to Health and Medicaid.

In addition to our verbal testimony and written testimony our attorney Adam Falcone drafted a one page document that may be helpful to you as you brief lawmakers on this critical issue and ask them to please send a letter to leaders at DOH requesting that the Department immediately provide a full accounting of how state funds paid to participating health plans have been spent since certain OMH mental health and OASAS substance use services were carved in to Medicaid Managed Care, beginning in 2015.

Take a look at the documents attached and feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk any of this over.  I will be back in touch very shortly, with a request for your support and action as we continue to demand transparency from the Department of Health.