NYAPRS Note: NYAPRS joined a group of colleagues in advocating for legislation that would increase access to licensed mental health counselors in additional settings. While the bills were vetoed by the Governor this week, we’re hoping to see a remedy in the coming year’s budget. See our joint statement below.
Cuomo Vetoes Medicaid Coverage Bills
Crain’s Health Pulse November 22, 2019
Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed two bills this week that would have expanded Medicaid coverage to allow licensed clinical social workers and licensed mental health practitioners to directly bill Medicaid for their services.
The bills both were approved by the Legislature in June and aimed to improve access to mental health treatment. Sen. Diane Savino, a Staten Island Democrat who sponsored both bills in the Senate, noted in the memo supporting one of the bills that social workers are the largest group of mental health practitioners in the country.
“They are often the first to diagnose and treat people with mental disorders and various emotional and behavioral disturbances,” the bill memo said.
The mental health practitioner bill has been introduced each of the past three years, passing the Senate twice, without becoming law…
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Veto Message #145 Disappoints, Stuns Behavioral Health Advocates
A veto message issued on November 20, has left behavioral health advocates disappointed and stunned, especially at a time when demand for behavioral health services is rapidly increasing.
The Governor’s Veto Message indicates the bill would require the expenditure of unbudgeted funds and would be better suited to discussion during budget negotiations. The Governor also stated that he believes that access to appropriate services is “laudable.”
On the latter point, we could not agree more. We hope to review the fiscally neutral nature of the bill further with the Governor and his staff and ask that the measure be proposed in the Executive Budget recommendation.
This bill, overwhelmingly approved by the state Legislature, would have authorized licensed mental health counselors and licensed marriage and family therapists to work in additional settings. These are professionals who are already able to provide Medicaid covered counseling.
Currently, behavioral health service providers are unable to hire enough licensed mental health practitioners to meet the need. We strongly advocated for these sensible policies, which would not increase Medicaid spending.
Furthermore, the bill would not expand Medicaid services or eligibility, but instead allows for the possibility of better access to mental health and substance use counseling, services that are already covered by Medicaid.
We look forward to advancing this conversation during the budget process, and to arriving at solutions to these critical issues that are important to millions of New Yorkers in a way that is also fiscally responsible.
Association for Community Living, Inc.,
Coalition of Medication Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates (COMPA)
NY Association of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Providers (ASAP)
NY Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS)
NYS Care Management Coalition, NYS Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
NY Association for Marriage & Family Therapy
NYS Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health
The Coalition for Behavioral Health
NY Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation
Therapeutic Community Association of NY (TCANY)
The Mental Health Association of NYS