For Immediate Release
December 14, 2021
MSSNY Thanks Richard Gottfried for his Many Years of Service
and Wishes him Well in Retirement
Statement Attributable to:
Joseph R. Sellers, MD, FAAP, FACP
President, Medical Society of the State of New York
“Richard Gottfried’s retirement from the Assembly after 52 years of service marks the end of an era. As the author of countless laws to expand insurance coverage for patients and to address various public health threats, Assemblymember Gottfried has long been a champion for protecting patients’ ability to receive timely and quality health care. Chair Gottfried could be counted on to thoughtfully discuss and consider questions raised by physicians and others regarding how best to achieve our shared goals, even on occasion when we had to agree to disagree on the merits of a particular proposal.
“Chair Gottfried has been a consistent champion in efforts to expand affordable health insurance coverage availability and to protect the patient-physician treatment relationship from corporate interference from health insurers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). This was demonstrated through his advancement of legislation to provide state regulation of PBMs, to reduce excessive health insurer-imposed prior authorization burdens, to eliminate onerous contract provisions that adversely impact patient access to care, and to permit collective bargaining rights to community-based health care providers.
“The State Capitol will certainly be a different place without Assemblyman Gottfried‘s regular presence. We thank him for his decades of service to the public and wish him a happy retirement.”
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Founded in 1807, the Medical Society of the State of New York is the state’s principal non-profit professional organization for physicians, residents and medical students of all specialties. Its mission is to represent the interests of patients and physicians to assure quality healthcare services for all.
Media Contact:
Roseann Raia | Communications / Marketing
Medical Society of the State of New York
865 Merrick Avenue
Westbury, NY 11590
516.488.6100 x302 | [email protected]
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