June 4, 2024
Details for just announced DoH post-budget briefing on June 11 at 12:30 p.m. below. This Webinar will focus on recently enacted Medicaid budget provisions specifically. The NYS Council will attend and take notes for our members. Also below please find a link (towards the bottom of the announcement) to the 24-25 Enacted Budget Medicaid Scorecard. The Scorecard tracks Medicaid provisions, showing the cost or savings associated with each provision. We sent this to all members shortly after the budget was enacted.
Dear MRT Listserv Subscriber,
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP) invites you to attend a 2024-2025 Enacted Medicaid Budget Briefing Webinar, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 12:30 PM.
This informational webinar will focus on Medicaid-specific priorities of the Governor’s 2024-25 Enacted Budget. Time will be designated at the end of the webinar for a Q&A Period. Participants will be invited to submit their questions via the “Chat” feature within WebEx and effort will be made to respond to as many questions as time allows. Questions may also be submitted in advance via email to: mrtupdates@health.ny.gov. A recording of the webinar will be made available on the NYSDOH Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Budget Information webpage.
Please Note: This webinar requires registration. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar.
To view the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025 Enacted Budget Medicaid Scorecard please visit the NYS DOH Budget Information webpage here.
Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Updates
———————————
Looks like our work to secure the commercial insurance rate mandate and specifically our focus on securing the provision in the executive proposal (rather than a standalone piece of legislation) paid off.
Below from today’s Politico highlights the raft of proposed coverage mandates facing lawmakers as the session comes to a close.
It is always preferable to secure a budget request in the Executive Budget proposal rather than having to wait until the second part of the legislative session when many bills face strong headwinds. The sheer number of bills moving forward is in and of itself an obstacle to success in these instances.
“Health plans and business councils across New York are pressing legislative leaders to reject a swath of proposed insurance coverage mandates during the final days of session this week.
Nearly two dozen bills under active consideration by state lawmakers would set new coverage requirements, adding to a list of more than 70 mandated benefits already in statute, stakeholders wrote in a letter Monday to Senate Majority Leader Andrew Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
Signatories include the New York Health Plan Association, the NYS Conference of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, the Business Council of New York State and other organizations representing small and mid-sized employers.
“While the cost of some of these benefits in isolation may be relatively small, the collective impact of mandated benefits adds to the cost of insurance, which contributes to New York already having the highest average premiums in the lower 48 states,” the groups wrote.
Among the proposed mandates pending before the Legislature are bills requiring health insurance coverage for follow-up lung cancer screenings, scalp cooling systems used during chemotherapy, infertility treatment and transvaginal ultrasounds during pregnancy.
The requirements would apply only to fully-insured health plans, which comprise less than half of New York’s commercial market; other employers are self-insured and governed by federal law.
And New York may have to foot the bill, the groups warn in their letter, since the Affordable Care Act requires states to absorb the costs of mandated benefits not included in their benchmark plan.” (Politico, 6/4)
——————————-
National Council Webinar announcement:
| Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder in Patients with Liver Disease: Leveraging an Underutilized ToolJune 26, 1-2 p.m. ETRegister Mortality due to alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) has risen steadily over the past two decades, with a sharp increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, 46% of liver disease deaths among people ages 12 and older involved alcohol.Despite alcohol’s role in liver disease deaths, medication treatments for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) are rarely used in patients with ALD, in part because of stigma, limited data on effectiveness, and concerns about safety and further potential damage to the liver. There is an immense opportunity to increase use of MAUD for patients with or at risk of liver disease to tackle co-occurring health needs and prevent further complications or even death. Join us June 26, 1-2 p.m. ET for our latest PCSS-MAUD Webinar, Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder in Patients with Liver Disease: Leveraging an Underutilized Tool to learn more about why and how MAUD can be useful when working with patients living with liver disease. Hear from two hepatologists who have successfully incorporated MAUD into their respective practices, and how they are leveraging these medications to protect liver health. Educational Objectives:Outline the benefits of MAUD for patients with or at risk of liver disease.Describe barriers to MAUD treatment for patients with or at risk of liver disease and explore ways to address these.Discuss safe MAUD implementation among patients with liver disease.The webinar will feature the following speakers:Lamia Haque, MD, MPH, Hepatologist, Addiction Medicine Specialist, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Yale School of MedicineGene Im, MD, FAASLD, Transplant Hepatologist, Associate Professor of Medicine, Icahn School of MedicineRegister |
——————————
FYI: The bill (discussed below) appears to be moving forward in the Senate although it seems less likely to move in the Assembly (but never say never)! The bill provides for the certification of entities seeking to provide in-home based substance use disorder treatment services.
| S8717 | FERNANDEZ — Relates to the certification of innovative statewide substance use disorder treatment services Same as A 9688 Reyes SUMM : Add §32.05-b, Ment Hyg L Provides for the certification of entities seeking to provide in-home based substance use disorder treatment services. Last Act: 05/14/24 ADVANCED TO THIRD READING |
———————————–
| Register Now: United Hospital Fund’s Annual Medicaid Conference Medicaid in New York 2024 Conference Wednesday, July 31, 2024 8:30 am – 4:00 pmIn-person at New York Bar Association 42 W 44th Street, New York, NY -and- Virtual Live WebcastThe conference program will include: • Opening Keynote by New York State Medicaid Director Amir Bassiri • Maternal Child Health Panel Discussion • Fireside chat about integrating physical, behavioral, and social carePlease visit our website here for the full agendaThis event is made possible with support from: THE COMMONWEALTH FUND UNITE US MOLINA HEALTHCARE ACENTRA HEALTH IBM NYSTEC EQUIFAX/CARAHSOFT Additional sponsorship opportunities available hereRegistration is free for virtual attendance and $75 for in-person attendance. Free in-person tickets are available for federal, state, and local government employees, Medicaid members, students, employees of community-based or non-profit organizations, and members of the media, thanks to generous support from The Commonwealth Fund.Register at the link below: |
| Register Here |