The Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder (MH/SUD) Parity Report Act (A.3694-C) has been delivered to the Governor Cuomo's desk. He now has ten days to sign the bill into law. The deadline is (December 22, 2018, which incidentally falls on the day Timothy's Law, New York's parity law, was signed in 2006.
This important legislation would provide New York with annual transparency and accountability from insurers, health plans and
behavioral health benefit managers on compliance with federal and state MH/SUD parity laws, which, we know from settlements with the New York Attorney General, remains elusive.
Under
A.3694-C,
insurers, health plans and behavioral health benefit managers will be required to submit certain key data for the purpose of allowing the Department of Financial Services to evaluate compliance with federal and state MH/SUD parity laws and issue an annual parity report. Twenty-two statewide organizations, as well as five national organizations, representing mental health and substance use disorder providers, medical specialty societies, as well as consumer representatives of mental
health and substance use disorder services,
actively support the enactment of this legislation.
While the supporters overcame the vigorous objections of insurers and health plans to secure the bill's passage by 60-0 in the Senate and 137-1 in the Assembly,
we must continue to make sure our voices are heard in the next ten days!
TAKE ACTION!!!
Don't wait to act - take five minutes to call the Governor's office TODAY via the phone number and script below.
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SAMPLE PHONE/EMAIL SCRIPT
CALL THE GOVERNOR TODAY: (518) 474-8390;
Press 2 to speak with a person.
Hi, my name is _______________. I am a [psychiatrist; psychologist; social worker; family advocate; peer] in New York State. I urge Governor Cuomo to sign A.3694-C into law, which passed the Senate unanimously and the Assembly with one dissenting vote, and would be among the strongest parity compliance reporting measures in the nation. New York needs compliance with these laws to sustain and enhance care for with those with MH/SUD.
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NAMI-NYS's 2018 Parity@10 Award Winners: Tom O'Clair, Congressman Paul Tonko, Andrew Malekoff and Karla Lopez.
