Attached below is a powerful letter from the Senate Mental Hygiene Chair, Samra Brouk and Assembly Mental Hygiene Chair, Jo Ann Simon talking about their proposed legislation that will carve out behavioral health services from managed care plans, saving the State an estimated $400 million dollars. This money could then be utilized to create a pool that would ensure funding would go back to community-based behavioral health services.
This legislation combined with the work that the Attorney General has done with ghost networks and the work of the Executive in the movement to increase enforcement will ultimately lead to better outcomes for individuals in the behavioral health space. There are managed care plans that are doing good work in behavioral health, but there are too many plans that are not being responsive to the needs of people with mental health and substance use issues. This has to change.
We also want to acknowledge the leadership role played by the NYS Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare in working towards passage of this legislation.
