Bill Text: NY A03554 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Makes care and services provided by licensed mental health counselors eligible for coverage under the Medicaid program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-07-08 - enacting clause stricken [A03554 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A03554-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3554
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 27, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of  A. BROOK-KRASNY -- read once and referred to the
         Committee on Health
       AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to making care  and
         services  provided  by  licensed mental health counselors eligible for
         coverage under the Medicaid program
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Legislative intent. Whereas Medicaid covers mental health
    2  services in New York state to psychiatrists,  psychologists  and  social
    3  workers,  Medicaid  does  not  recognize  New York state licensed mental
    4  health counselors as  providers  within  the  Medicaid  program.  Mental
    5  health  counselors  are  often the only mental health providers in urban
    6  underserved minority communities. A critical  result  of  this  lack  of
    7  providers is that minority communities bear a disproportionate number of
    8  burdens  of  mental  health disabilities and inadequately treated mental
    9  health disorders. Excluding mental health counselors from treating Medi-
   10  caid beneficiaries with untreated mental illness puts such beneficiaries
   11  disproportionately at risk for  engagement  with  the  criminal  justice
   12  system. This puts individuals, families and communities at risk of harm.
   13  Approximately  26  percent of adults experience a diagnosable behavioral
   14  health disorder each year, and researchers have reported 20  percent  of
   15  adolescents display psychological problems. Behavioral health disorders,
   16  ranging from inattention to violence are often a result of those psycho-
   17  logical problems.
   18    Mental  health counselors represent over 40 percent of licensed mental
   19  health practitioners in New York state. Unfortunately Medicaid does  not
   20  recognize their important contribution to the present health care deliv-
   21  ery system.
   22    S  2.  Subdivision  2  of  section 365-a of the social services law is
   23  amended by adding a new paragraph (cc) to read as follows:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD08250-01-5
       A. 3554                             2
    1    (CC) CARE AND SERVICES PROVIDED BY MENTAL HEALTH  COUNSELORS  LICENSED
    2  PURSUANT  TO  SECTION  EIGHTY-FOUR  HUNDRED  TWO  OF  THE EDUCATION LAW,
    3  INCLUDING SUCH CARE AND SERVICES PROVIDED IN A HOSPITAL  OUT-PATIENT  OR
    4  CLINIC FACILITY REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH (C) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
    5    S 3. This act shall take effect on the ninety-first day after it shall
    6  have become a law.