Executive Budget a “Mixed Bag” for Patient Access to Care
Governor Hochul released her Executive Budget on Tuesday, which I referred to as a “mixed bag” for patient access to care in my subsequent press statement:
The Executive Budget is a mixed bag for patient care access. It importantly sets forth several positive provisions to better ensure patients have access to needed care, including expanded health insurance coverage and coverage for telehealth services.
However, we are very concerned by other proposals that would slash longstanding programs and result in reducing patient access to community-based physician care. This includes the proposed repeal of the Committee for Physicians’ Health program, a tremendously important program begun over 40 years ago that provides needed treatment services for physicians thought to be suffering from burnout and/or addiction. Ironically, authority for this program was just extended for five years by the Governor and Legislature in last year’s State Budget. Another serious concern are the cuts to the long-standing Excess Medical Malpractice Insurance program, a program started in the mid-1980s that has helped keep physicians in practice in our communities by offsetting the staggering costs of purchasing medical liability insurance coverage in New York State.
We also have significant concerns with the adverse impact to patient care through proposals to remove important physician collaboration and/or supervision over care delivery by non-physicians. Not only is physician oversight essential for care quality, but it is also what patients want. A recent national survey reported that 95% of patients believe it is important that a physician be involved with their diagnosis and treatment decisions.
“We look forward to further discussions with the Governor and Legislature on preserving patient access to community-based physician care so that our patients have access to the quality healthcare they need and deserve.
Please stay tuned for further requests for how you can be involved in advocating on these issues to your Senators and Assemblymembers, and please plan to join us in Albany on March 12 for the MSSNY Annual Physician Advocacy Day.
MSSNY Applauds Rep. Stefanik for Legislation to Help Address Physician Shortages by Reallocating Unused Conrad-30 Waivers. I released a second statement to the press this week regarding new legislation to address physician shortages in New York:
We applaud Rep. Stefanik for introducing legislation to help address physician shortages by reallocating unused Conrad-30 waivers to New York and other states who have already used the maximum number of waivers.
This measure would help to expand the pool of qualified foreign-born physicians who can provide needed care to New York patients. Instead of seeking to address access to care shortages through inappropriately expanding the scope of non-physicians, as some policymakers propose, this measure would actually seek to bring more trained physicians to New York State to deliver needed care. It is one of a litany of steps that can be taken to help attract and retain physicians to New York, which is regularly ranked in surveys as one of the worst states in the country in which to practice medicine.
We look forward to working with her and the New York Congressional Delegation to help enact this measure into law.
Paul A. Pipia, MDPresidentMedical Society of the State of New York
