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2005 NYS Legislative Agenda
GMHC believes that Medicaid "reform" cannot come at the expense of
New York's most vulnerable health care consumers. GMHC will aggressively
oppose cuts to Medicaid and Family Health Plus — programs
that form the bedrock of the HIV/AIDS care infrastructure and provide
care to over 65,000 HIV+ New Yorkers. GMHC will aggressively oppose
measures in the Executive budget that would eliminate "optional" benefits
in Medicaid. GMHC will also oppose the Governor's proposed
cuts to Family Health Plus eligibility and benefits, including
a stricter assets test, the elimination of vision, dental, and mental
health benefits, and the elimination of facilitated enrollment. Making
Family Health Plus look more like Healthy New York will not meet
the medical needs of seriously ill New Yorkers.
Additionally, GMHC opposes the development of a preferred
drug program, and strongly advocates for significant
consumer safeguards — including the exemption of people
with HIV/AIDS, should a PDP be created. Consumers with serious
illnesses and disabilities, like HIV/AIDS, are the people who
are most impacted by prior authorization.
To help rein in the cost of health care spending, we
will also advocate for increased affordability of and access to
prescription drugs for people living with HIV including bulk
purchasing and reimportation as part of a comprehensive
effort to bring down the unreasonably high price of medications
provided by publicly funded programs.
Further, GMHC opposes increased prescription drug co-pays
in Medicaid, Family Health Plus or any other public insurance
program. Studies have shown that increased pharmacy
cost-sharing for people with disabilities hinders access and
reduces utilization of medically necessary drugs. GMHC also opposes
increased co-pays for Family Health Plus benefits like hospital
visits.
As a leader in New York's disability community, GMHC will push
for the stabilization of the direct pay commercial health insurance
marketplace including the reinstitution of public rate
hearings.
GMHC will also advocate that proceeds from future conversions of
not-for-profit insurers go into a foundation dedicated
to the expansion of health care access. GMHC supports
legislation designed to ensure that such conversions will be in
the public interest.
GMHC, with the Legislative Action Coalition on Prison Health (LACPH),
will continue to support the passage of legislation that expands
and improves the healthcare inmates receive in New York State Prisons
especially with respect to HIV and Hepatitis C. This includes
legislation to perform yearly audits of the Department of Corrections
healthcare system, legislation to redefine medical facilities in
prisons as Article 28 institutions, and legislation that provides
prevention, education and latex barrier distribution in NYS Prisons.
GMHC supports legislation instructing corrections to establish
a system to assist inmates in Medicaid enrollment. GMHC along with
the LACPH will continue to oppose legislation that harms inmates,
specifically we oppose legislation that would authorize
agents of the division of parole to disclose HIV related information of
parolees to public health officers for the purpose of informing
a parolee's contacts.
Furthermore, GMHC will monitor the implementation of HIV Special
Needs Plans and their impact on our clients and all people living
with HIV/AIDS. GMHC will oppose any efforts to make SNPs
mandatory unless the plans are proven to be as reliable
as fee-for-service Medicaid and provide quality care for beneficiaries.
GMHC will continue to support the introduction of legislation
that enhances access to care for HIV+ immigrants.
GMHC will also monitor changes in welfare reform and
the resulting impact these changes will have on women, health care
and employment opportunities for vulnerable populations. Also,
GMHC as part of the Emergency Contraception Access Campaign will
work to support women's access to emergency contraception in
pharmacies.
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© 2005 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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