Statement by Paul Macielak, HPA President & CEO
“Governor Cuomo’s outline of his health care priorities was a ‘good news/bad news’ story.
“The good news is it does not appear that there are proposals to create new taxes on health care or increase the existing ones that currently total more than $5 billion. More good news is his proposal to require drug cost transparency. With pharmacy costs as one of the biggest drivers of health care costs overall, consumers need and deserve basic pricing information.
“The bad news, however, is there was no provision to reform New York’s prior approval process, a top priority for health plans. In recent years the Department of Financial Services has used its unfettered authority to artificially suppress premium increases to ‘below the average increase in health care costs,’ a practice that threatens plans’ financial stability and, by extension, consumers’ access to care, as evidenced by the recent shutdown of Health Republic.
“On the issue of breast cancer screenings, New York health plans support and promote the importance of screening, agreeing that ‘early detection is the best treatment.’ Health plans cover screenings, with New York’s laws ensuring screening among the broadest in the nation and well beyond what federal law and the Affordable Care Act requires. More effort should be made to provide screening for women without coverage and to educate all New Yorkers about the importance of these and other cancer screenings. Health plans are committed to working with our state lawmakers and policy makers on that goal.”