WHAT HAS MSSNY DONE FOR YOU? 

Whether you’re in independent practice or you work for a large group or institution,
your future depends on a strong state medical society. 

  • MSSNY consistently quashes or modifies legislative proposals that would adversely impact your ability to deliver care to your patients
  • MSSNY consistently fights to assure that you, as a trained physician, not insurance companies or government, determine the appropriate course of care for your patients’ conditions and circumstances.
  • MSSNY helps you negotiate employment contracts that don’t leave you out on a limb after the initial honeymoon period ends. 
  • MSSNY provides information, education and insights to help you plan for the future and advance your career.

IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF THE 2019 SESSION 

These MSSNY-supported bills were passed:

·        Medical contraindications are the only acceptable exception to vaccine requirements (enacted into law)

·        Health insurers significantly curtailed in making mid-year changes to their prescription formularies

·        Extensive new regulation of Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers (PBM)

·        Prescribers permitted to arrange with a pharmacist to “partially fill” a patient prescription for opioid medication

·        Prior authorization (PA) requirements reduced when a PA for a related procedure has already been received

·        Creation of a maternal mortality review Board with strong confidentiality protections to recommend needed interventions to prevent these deaths in the future 

These bills opposed by MSSNY were defeated:

·        Legalization of recreational use of marijuana (instead, legislation we supported to further “decriminalize” possession of small amounts of marijuana was passed)

·        Every major scope of practice expansion bill

·        Numerous priority items for trial lawyers that would have significantly driven up medical liability costs, including a bill that would have exponentially expanded awardable damages in wrongful death cases

·        Several bills that would have overridden physician clinical judgment and added even more requirements on physicians prior to prescribing opioid medications to patients.

·        NO UNFUNDED MANDATES WERE APPROVED 

And then there were these wins from earlier this session or recently: 

·        Prior authorizations eliminated for Medication-Assisted Treatment in behavioral health and substance abuse care.

·        “Anti-retaliatory” protections enacted for physicians who file complaints against insurers with state agencies.

·        Defeated a planned $80/patient cut for deductibles of Medicare/Medicaid dually-eligible patients.

·        Crafted legislation on “surprise” out of network medical bills hailed as a model for the rest of the country.  It expands health insurer network adequacy requirements.

·        Stronger regulation of insurer step therapy protocols, with stronger rights for physicians to override.

·        Required faster action by insurers on physicians’ network participation applications.

·        Limited health insurers’ ability to deny payment for claims previously pre-authorized

·        Limited post-payment timeframe for health insurers to retroactively recover payments

·        Required 90 days’ notice of material contract changes with an ability for physicians to opt out

·        Shortened required time frames for insurer payment

·        Workers’ Compensation medical fee schedule increased by 10% - 37%.

·        Drug companies required to pay for a comprehensive drug disposal system

·        Lowered the age for mandatory coverage of prostate cancer screening

·        Required health insurers to report on their compliance with mental health and substance abuse parity laws

Who could have achieved these outcomes without MSSNY?

Who will support MSSNY’s efforts, if you don’t?

Are you a MSSNY member? 

Join Now!