On August 3rd I attended a rally outside the capital building that was aimed at urging Governor Cuomo to sign a bill that reforms Step Therapy in New York. For those unfamiliar with this policy, step therapy, also know as "fail first", allows insurance companies to deny coverage of certain medications that may be more costly, but more effective, than other similar generic treatments, until a patient proves that the generic treatment is unsuitable. This obviously is unsuitable for many mental illnesses given that two drugs treating the same disorder may do so in very different ways. In addition, finding the right brand, dosage, and/or combination of medication for mental illnesses may take years, and the current policy of fail first only extends this period. NAMI NYS was a strong supporter of the reform, along with other advocacy groups rallying for lupus, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and cancer. Later that same evening Congressman Paul Tonko spoke at a town hall meeting in Colonie to discuss federal mental health policy. The Congressman discussed the advances made by the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 Bill that recently passed in the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. The Bill aims to remedy the lack of beds in psychiatric facilities, expand pediatric mental health series and coverage, and overall reform the federal mental health care system. In addition, the Congressman brought up many interesting points about how this bill has been tied to gun reform legislation, with many people attempting to make the two a package deal (while others using mental health care reform as a scapegoat for gun reform, in my opinion). It was a very insightful talk, and I hope to see more progress like this at the national level!
1 Comment
12/5/2016 09:13:18 am
I think I have never seen such blogs ever before that has complete things with all details which I want. So kindly update this ever for us.
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Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all. -Bill Clinton
Katherine WallaceEmma Willard Class of 2017. Archives
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