Your Weekly Dose of Health June 26, 2015

Thank you to the NYS Senate and Assembly for passing A.7208/ S. 4893! 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 prevail in medication decisions. We now need your help encouraging Governor Cuomo to sign the legislation for final passage! Urge his support by calling 518-474-8390 or filling out the contact form.

In a much anticipated decision on the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the federal government may provide subsidies to help low income and middle class people purchase health insurance in states that have not set up their own health exchanges.

The Obama administration has simplified the approval process for private groups who wish to research medical marijuana by removing the mandatory Public Health Service Review.  That review had essentially duplicated another step in the process, making it unnecessary.

Governor Cuomo announced this week $658 million in support for nutritional programs in New York.  The money will go to 92 providers that manage New York’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).  See the governor’s press release here.

On Monday night New York City Council and Mayor de Blasio came to an agreement on the FYE 2016 budget.  The budget includes $21 million to ensure no gaps in service for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.   The budget also includes $1.8 million to expand the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), as well as $4.3 million to reduce waitlists for the Department of Aging’s homecare program.

California passed a budget that includes funding to provide health care for children of undocumented immigrants.

The NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services and the Office of Mental Health announced a series of forums they will host to consider consolidating both groups into a single unified behavior health agency.