OMIG Audit Reform ACTION ALERT

March 20, 2025

Below please find the Action Alert I sent (yesterday) to all of the many healthcare-related associations/coalitions/groups listed at the end of the note, requesting they contact their members and urge them to send letters to their Assembly representatives as we continue to fight for inclusion of our OMIG Audit Reform bill language in the final enacted state budget.

As you can see, we have an impressive list of association/coalition groups working together to push for OMIG Reform.  I invited these groups to use the NYS Council letter generator to make it easy to send letters to Assembly representatives, and I want to strongly encourage NYS Council members to do the same (links are embedded in the note to associations below).  Fortunately, the Senate included our bill language in its Senate one-house budget bill, identifying it as a priority for final state budget negotiations, however the Assembly was silent on the matter.  We need intense and ongoing support from Assembly rank and file lawmakers as well as Assembly leaders to move this forward but we are facing strong headwinds.

In addition to sending letters, I have asked a few NYS Council member agency CEOs with Assembly reps who sit on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee to schedule a meeting with the rep or perhaps the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff (soon!) so you can review the newly amended bill with them and urge them to support this critical reform.  Remember:  There is a limited window of time to get to your rep – the new state budget is due April 1 and lawmakers are currently engaged in intense negotiations.

I pasted the list of Assembly Ways and Means Committee members (below).  PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY by sending letters using our letter generator (linked below) and calling the Assembly members listed below (including Gary Pretlow, Chair, Assembly Ways and Means Committee).  I have attached several resource documents to make the calls easy for you.

THANK YOU!

Assembly W&M Committee Members

————————————-

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Lauri Cole <lauri@nyscouncil.org>
Date: Wed, Mar 19, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Subject: OMIG Action Alert
To: Allegra Schorr <aschorr@compa-ny.org>, Seep Varma <seep@staynout.org>, <cchristakis@ny.acog.org>, Norwig DeBye-Saxinger <norwigdebye@gmail.com>, Al Cardillo <acardillo@hcanys.org>, wini schiff <wini@iacny.org>, Evan Sullivan <esullivan@ostroffassociates.com>, <jgoldberg@pcdc.org>, Katie Mayo <kmayo@nyalliance.org>, tsmith@drugpolicy.org <tsmith@drugpolicy.org>, L Alfredo <lalfredo@gnyha.org>, mauster@mssny.org <mauster@mssny.org>, Michael Seereiter <mseereiter@nyalliance.org>, <harveyr@rightsandrecovery.org>, Matthew Shapiro <matthew@naminys.org>, <cmalone@nycms.org>, <ehancox@ny.acog.org>, Marcy Savage <Marcys@lobbywr.com>, Barbara Crosier <bcrosier@cpstate.org>, Avraham Schick <aschick@silverlakebehavioralhealth.com>, Georgana Hanson <georgana.hanson@ppesacts.org>, Victoria Aufiero <vaufiero@hanys.org>, Ed Cichon <ecichon@cazenoviarecovery.org>, bhansen@ftnys.org <bhansen@ftnys.org>, <pleone@shnny.org>, eswabc@gmail.com <eswabc@gmail.com>, <sebrina@aclnys.org>, P A <aydinianp@thearcny.org>, lponesse@nyacp.org <lponesse@nyacp.org>, <batkins@nyssos.org>, Jasmine Budnella <jasmine@vocal-ny.org>, <executivedirector@pssny.org>, L Lahn <llahn@gnyha.org>, jackie negri <jackienegrillc@gmail.com>, kayleigh@ccbhny.org <kayleigh@ccbhny.org>, K Logan <klogan@gnyha.org>, stuart@nyssa-pga.org <stuart@nyssa-pga.org>, <ywatts@nyaemp.org>, Glenn Liebman <gliebman@mhanys.org>, <jni@chcanys.org>, doug cooper <doug@aclnys.org>, <jeff.paterson@sasinc.org>, <mmongeon@chcanys.org>, Christine Tramontano <ctramontano@malkinross.com>, <lukes@rightsandrecovery.org>, Stephen Piasecki <spiasecki@shnny.org>, <ddawny@ddawny.org>, d c <dcaro@mirramgroup.com>, dfrazier@elkstreetgroup.com <dfrazier@elkstreetgroup.com>, Paige Pierce <PPierce@ftnys.org>, <vito@nysafp.org>, L A <lalteri@chcalbany.com>, mike d <mikeduteau@noblehealthservices.com>, Alice Bufkin <abufkin@cccnewyork.org>, <ehrich@nyshcp.org>, Sarah DuVall <sduvall@iuany.org>, karin@spencerstrategicsolutions.com <karin@spencerstrategicsolutions.com>

Good afternoon,

Thank you for continuing to support OMIG Audit Reform and specifically, A1069A (Paulin) / S5329A (Harckham) –  ‘same as’ bills that would infuse greater transparency, fairness and balance into the OMIG Medicaid audit process.  As you may know, yesterday the Assembly Health Committee under the leadership of Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (our Assembly bill sponsor) moved our OMIG Audit Reform bill forward to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Now is the time to ask your members/stakeholders to send lots of letters to their Assembly representatives urging them to vigorously support the inclusion of this legislation in the final enacted state budget.  To make it easy please feel free to use the letter generator at the following link:  https://nyscouncil.org/advocacy-action-center/.  Once the author arrives on this page they should click the black box that will take them to the letter generator page.

If every group on the list of supporters (below) generates 50 letters, we will have sent over 2,500 letters.  I hope this seems like a reasonable goal to you.  We need this level of support from every organization on the list!  

Also, if you have not already sent me a copy of your Memo In Support I would appreciate a copy for our growing folder. 

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me at your convenience at 518 461-8200.

Many thanks.

Lauri Cole, Executive Director
NYS Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
518 461-8200/lauri@nyscouncil.org

Alliance for Rights and Recovery (formerly NYAPRS)
Association for Community Living
Alliance of Long Island Agencies
Cerebral Palsy Association of NYS
Citizens’ Committee for Children
Coalition of Downstate Union Home Care Agencies
Coalition of Medication-Assisted Providers and Advocates
Community Health Care Association of New York State
Community Pharmacy Association of New York State
Developmental Disabilities Alliance of WNY
Families Together of NYS
Federation of Mental Health Services
Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA)
Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS)
Inter Agency Council of Developmental Disabilities, Inc.
InUnity Alliance
Legal Action Center
Medical Society of New York State
Mental Health Association in NYS
National Alliance for Mental Illness – NYS
New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation
New York Association of Emerging & Multicultural Providers, Inc.
New York Disability Advocates
New York State Academy of Family Physicians
The New York State Association of Health Care Providers, Inc.
New York State Care Management Coalition
New York Chapter American College of Physicians Services, Inc.
New York Providers Alliance
New York State American Academy of Pediatrics, Chapters 1, 2 and 3
New York State Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health
New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
New York State Psychiatric Association
New York State Society of Anesthesiologists
New York State Society of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery
New York State Society of Plastic Surgeons
NYS Ophthalmological Society
NYS Osteopathic Medical Society
NYS Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Pharmacists Society of the State of New York
PEGI Solutions
Primary Care Development Corporation
Supportive Housing Network of New York
The Arc New York
The Addiction Treatment Providers of New York
The Alliance of TBI and NHTD Waiver Providers
The Drug Policy Alliance
The New York State Neurological Society
The New York State Neurosurgical Society
VOCAL NY