(Long Island, NY) Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Address delivered January 8, 2014 marginally referenced health care, but the address’s emphasis on tax relief could have bearing upon hospitals and Medicaid funding in the final 2014 – 2015 state budget. The Governor did announce that New York will establish a program allowing up to 20 hospitals to prescribe medical marijuana.
The program will monitor the effectiveness and feasibility of medical marijuana use in New York State. The Governor would issue an executive order to authorize the program. More details about the program will surface in the coming weeks. During the upcoming advocacy season, advocates say they will focus on a variety of issues including:
Medicaid Global Spending Cap. The industry will work to ensure that the elimination of the two-percent Medicaid cut, at some point late in 2014, becomes a reality as promised by language in last year’s approved budget. That provision called for the elimination of the cut contingent upon state Medicaid spending not piercing the Medicaid Global spending cap.
Nurse Staffing Ratio Bills. Legislation aimed at establishing nurse staffing ratios is expected to surface again during the upcoming budget season. The industry remains steadfast in its opposition to mandated ratios. Hospital staffing levels are best determined on a per hospital basis in response to surge capacity, patient acuity, and other local demands.
Certificate of Need Process. Efforts to “level the playing field” between hospital providers (Article 28) and private physician practitioners will intensify. The Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) has already approved a series of recommendations regarding state oversight of various models of ambulatory services, such as retail/convenience clinics, urgent care, and freestanding emergency departments.
Balanced Billing, Regional Planning, Managed Care and Related Reforms. Advocates will work to ensure that any out-of-network regulations are limited to reasonable disclosure efforts, that attempts to add another layer to the CON process through local planning efforts are held in abeyance, and that more improvements in managed care practices are realized.
Published bi-monthly by the Suburban Hospital Alliance of New York State, LLC, a consortium of 51 not-for-profit and public hospitals advocating for better health care policy for all those living and working in the nine counties north and east of New York City.
