As pundits continue to argue about the nature and extent of the “Blue Wave” that did or did not wash across the country this past Election Day, its impact in New York State was undeniable. What happened in New York on Tuesday was notable for several reasons. First, according to the New York State Board of Elections (BOE), the
Continue Reading What Happened on Election Day – and What It Means for Healthcare Policy in New York State
In January 2018, during the Executive budget address, Governor Cuomo directed the Department of Health (DOH) to review the health, criminal justice and economic impacts of regulating recreational marijuana in New York. In doing so, he requested DOH to act in consultation with other NYS agencies and to evaluate the experience, consequences and effects of legalized marijuana in neighboring
Continue Reading NYS Department of Health Report Green Lights Legalization of Marijuana
Our series highlighting recent activity by the NYS Legislature continues with a recap of bills passed in 2018 that relate to behavioral health. This synopsis follows previous summaries we have done concerning pharmacy (here), hospitals (here), long term care and aging (here).
Except where otherwise noted, these bills await action by the Governor.
Mental
Continue Reading Legislation Affecting Behavioral Health
During a year in which legislative activity was restrained by a variety of factors, most notably the Senate’s inability to maintain a consistent majority, the New York State Legislature nonetheless still passed 641 bills, several of which would affect the pharmaceutical sector. While the Governor has until the end of the year to consider and act on these proposals, we
Continue Reading Legislation Affecting the Pharmaceutical Industry
The New York State Department of Health (DOH), in consultation with the Department of Labor (DOL), recently announced a Request for Applications for the Health Workforce Retraining Initiative (HWRI). This program was established pursuant to NYS Public Health Law §2807-g and is funded through the State’s Health Care Reform Act. The 2018-19 Enacted New York State Budget included $9 million
Continue Reading NYS Department of Health Announces Workforce Retraining Funding Opportunity
This, the last of our posts on the 2018-19 New York State Health Budget (the “Enacted Budget”), focuses on an area of healthcare that has perhaps the broadest impact of the sector as a whole — managed care. A prior post in the series (
Continue Reading The Broadest Impact: 2018-19 New York State Managed Care Budget Highlights
Several provisions in the recently adopted 2018-19 New York State Budget (the “Enacted Budget”) are intended to address the ongoing opioid crisis. As discussed in a prior post (here), some were focused on pharmaceutical manufacturers. Some of the most significant provisions,
Notwithstanding the enactment of a first-in-the-nation drug spending cap last year, in light of the $4.4 billion deficit and ongoing concerns about the opioid crisis it was inevitable that this year New York State would once again seek to enact substantial reforms impacting the pharmaceutical industry.
Continue Reading Pharmaceutical Reforms in 2018-19 New York State Budget
In the wee hours of the morning on March 30, almost two days ahead of the April 1 deadline, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed a $168.3 billion State Budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The Enacted Budget maintains a self-imposed cap of 2% on spending increases, and averts
Continue Reading 2018-19 New York State Healthcare Budget