Your Weekly Dose of Health August 7, 2015

Please weigh in TODAY! The Prescriber Prevails legislation (A.7208/ S. 4893) was delivered to Governor Cuomo on Monday!  It’s critical you encourage him to sign this legislation for final passage by calling 518-362-8946 or filling out this form! This legislation clarifies the Prescriber Prevails process in Medicaid Managed Care and eliminates some of the hurdles that patients and prescribers must go through to make sure patients get the medications they need.

Over 30 leading healthcare organizations this week urged Governor Cuomo to sign “prescriber prevails” legislation that would guarantee that doctors can make the final decision over what medications to provide patients.  The bill passed both houses by a large margin, and is due for action by the governor by August 14.

Leggionnaires’ disease has resulted in ten deaths in New York City.  The city’s health department is mandating that all cooling towers be disinfected within two weeks or a face a fine.  The governor has called in the CDC to help mitigate the crisis.

Medicaid providers banned in some states still operate in others according to Reuters.  The Affordable Care Act required all states to get rid of providers that have been banned in other states.

Mayor de Blasio announced this week a $22 million initiative aimed at dealing with mental health issues among the homeless.

President Obama has drafted an executive order to require companies that contract with government to provide employees with paid sick leave, according to the New York Times.