Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc.
(Publication Archives)

Friday Fax from Albany

Coming to Albany: Mark your calendars! March 19, 2002 is the date of MHANYS annual legislative conference. Starting at 9:00 a.m., we will be briefed by legislative and governmental leaders, including Comptroller Carl McCall and OMH Commissioner Jim Stone, as well as mental health colleagues who will speak to our 2002 Legislative Program. We anticipate a great focus on mental health parity, emphasizing the need to move the legislation in the state senate. We will also focus on wage increases for direct care workers, forensic alternatives and children’s issues.

Please sign up today to join us. A reply form follows in this week’s Friday Fax from Albany.

Don’t let Medicaid Force Switched Meds: The Health Care Reform Act (A. 9610, S. 6084) recently signed into law required mandatory substitution of generic drugs for Medicaid pharmaceutical prescriptions. Because of the potential for various problems, the legislature included a provision in the law allowing the Commissioner of Health to exempt any brand-name drug from the above requirement “for good cause”.

While generic drugs are not inherently bad, they are, by law, different. Because of copyright and trademark laws, generic drugs must have a different name and appearance from those they substitute.

Consumers and family members alike have expressed concern regarding the likelihood that some people may stop taking their medication when switched. Should generic substitution occur, consumers will return home from the pharmacy to find a very different pill from the one they have grown accustomed to. The label will have a completely different medication name on it, and there will be no information regarding the switch.

New York State has made a concerted effort to increase medication and treatment compliance, and allowing this provision to apply to new generation mental health medications directly contradicts these efforts.

Write to Commissioner of Health Antonio Novello (Commissioner Antonia Novello, New York State Department of Health, Corning Tower, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12237) today and urge her to exclude all new generation mental health medications from the mandatory switch.

Have you given a minute to help eliminate insurance discrimination in our state?

MHANYS Web Advocacy – Contact Your Legislators:

It only takes one minute to use our website to send an e-mail to your legislators, urging them to pass mental health and chemical dependency legislation. Please go to our website, www.mhanys.org and on the right side of the page under “Advocacy Now”, you can “Contact your Legislators”, sending them an e-mail in support of the Fair Insurance Today (FIT) coalition’s efforts to end discrimination in our state.
E-mail your Senator and Assemblymember today!

MHANYS 2002 Legislative Conference

March 19, 2002

Empire State Plaza Convention Center

REGISTRATION FORM

Name ____________________________________________________________

Organization ______________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________

City ______________________________ State _________ Zip ____________

Phone _________________ Fax ________________ E-Mail_______________

Number of Attendees: ____________

Names of Attendees:

__________________________ ________________________

__________________________ ________________________

__________________________ ________________________

__________________________ ________________________

__________________________ ________________________

__________________________ ________________________

FAX OR E-MAIL BY MARCH 1, 2002

TO:
Director of Public Policy
MHANYS
194 Washington Avenue, Suite 415
Albany, NY 12210
FAX: (518) 427-8676

Until next week, we remain,
Working to ensure available and accessible mental health services for all New Yorkers.

posted 2/21/02