HCFANY worked hard this year on a series of important priorities during this budget session. Governor Cuomo’s statement on the final enacted budget can be found here.

Here is a quick summary of how we did:

Full funding for Community Health Advocates (CHA)

HCFANY Recommendation: Provide $4.75 million in funding for CHA to help people and small businesses obtain, use, and keep their health insurance coverage.

Result: The final budget included $3.5 million for CHA – $2.5 million from the Executive and $1 million from the Assembly. The total funding is an increase of $250,000 from the past year.

Expansion of Child Health Plus (CHP) to Age 29

HCFANY Recommendation: Increase the age limit for CHP from 19 to 29 to create an affordable coverage option for young adults who are not eligible for subsidized health insurance because of their immigration status.

Result: This measure was not included in the enacted budget.

Essential Plan Premiums and Cost-Sharing

HCFANY Recommendation: HCFANY opposed increasing premiums and cost-sharing for consumers enrolled in the Essential Plan (EP), New York’s Basic Health Program for consumers with incomes just above the Medicaid limit.

Result: There were no changes to EP premiums, and there will be no increases in cost-sharing through at least March 2018.

Medicaid Beneficiary Protections

HCFANY Recommendation: HCFANY opposed the following threats to Medicaid beneficiaries: (1) increase in copayments for preferred, non-preferred, and over-the-counter drugs; (2) elimination of spousal/parental refusal, a reduction of resources that spouses and parents of people in managed long-term care or nursing homes can keep; and (3) repeal of “prescriber prevails.”

Result: (1) The budget increased copayments for preferred prescription drugs from $1 to $2.50 and decreased copayments for non-preferred drugs from $3 to $2.50. There were no changes to copayments for over-the-counter drugs; (2) there were no changes to spousal refusal; and (3) there were no changes to “prescriber prevails.”

Enhanced Reimbursement for Safety Net Hospitals

HCFANY Recommendation: Provide an enhanced reimbursement rate for hospitals that: (1) have at least 50 percent Medicaid or uninsured patients; (2) have at least 40 percent of inpatient discharges covered by Medicaid; (3) have no more than 25 percent of patients commercially insured; and (4) are facilities that are part of the state’s five public health systems or federally designated as critical access or sole community hospitals.

Result: The final budget includes $40 million for safety net hospitals that meet the criteria above for fiscal year 2018.

Health Care Regulation Modernization Team

HCFANY Recommendation: Designate at least 20 percent of the seats on this team for health care consumers or advocates and require consumer representation on all team subgroups. Limit the team’s role to making recommendations that would then be taken up by the legislature.

Result: The Health Care Regulation Modernization Team was not included in the final enacted budget.