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Opioid crisis, drug makers in Cuomo's crosshairs

Livingston County News - 1/5/2018

After a year of tumultuous health care reform attempts from the federal government, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo addressed his intentions to make New York a healthier place in his 2018 State of the State address Wednesday, calling first and foremost on New York to face its opioid crisis "head on."

"Nationwide we are witnessing a shocking phenomenon," Gov. Cuomo said in his speech.

"We are dying younger ... The reason? A staggering 21 percent increase in drug overdoses. For Americans under 50 years old, drug overdoses, mostly opioid-related, are the leading cause of death ... We are committed to a comprehensive solution - More prevention, more education, more enforcement (and) more treatment."

Under his Wellness Agenda, the governor proposed the state accomplish the following in the next year:

* Reverse the opioid epidemic, which claimed the lives of more than twice as many people in New York as motor vehicle accidents.

Gov. Cuomo proposed a five-point plan to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in perpetuating the crisis and strengthen protections against addiction stemming from prescription opioids. He also pledged to work to eliminate insurance barriers to addiction treatment and recovery services by limiting requirements for prior authorization and co-pays for outpatient addiction treatment.

The proposal also directs several state agencies to implement regulatory and policy reforms, increasing access to substance use disorder services.

In recognition of fentanyl's growing role in drug overdose deaths, the governor hopes to add 11 fentanyl analogs as Schedule I controlled substances in the state.

* Enforce expanded lead testing statewide. Gov. Cuomo will order the Department of Health and other state partners to develop a system to ensure all housing authorities and all private landlords statewide to test for toxic hazards such as lead paint. Livingston County is among the counties with the fewest confirmed cases of lead poisoning in children. The county had two confirmed cases out of 128 tested in 2014, while 11 children returned results indicative of an elevated blood lead level that year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

* To protect New Yorkers from "toxic chemicals" in personal care products, the governor will propose legislation requiring the manufacturers of personal care products sold in New York to make product ingredient information clear and publicly available, and to list those chemical ingredients which have been identified by other state, federal or international jurisdictions as posing a hazard to human health.

* Empower health care consumers by promoting price transparency, increasing awareness of financial assistance policies, and preventing abusive medical debt collection practices. The governor also proposes simplified medical billing and creating a searchable coverage database.

* Expand access to health care in rural areas through Telehealth Services. This proposal would include legislation to ensure New Yorkers can receive telehealth services in a wider range of settings, including from their own homes, and a new pilot program to support rural providers with investments in telemedicine equipment and technological support.

* A three-pronged plan to recruit, retain and strengthen the rural emergency medical services system.

* Support the needs of New York's population of aging adults, the fourth largest in the nation, with a long-term care planning council and expanded advance care planning. The state will set a goal to make 50 percent of all health systems age-friendly within the next five years, which will include the establishment of age-friendly emergency rooms.

* Become the national leader in AgTech and food research.

* Implement a Lyme- and tick-borne disease control plan, including more in-depth reporting of cases.

Among Gov. Cuomo's 2018 proposals are several plans of attack against homelessness.

A report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicated there were 88,352 homeless people in the state on any single night in January - or 16 percent of all homeless people in the entire U.S. on that night.

"The ultimate need is (affordable and supportive housing) and our budget has an historic state commitment in these areas," Gov. Cuomo said.

"But it is also an issue of our philosophy and expectations. We have grown too accepting ... What does it say about us, as a society, that we now pass men and women lying on the streets with the same ease that we pass light poles and mailboxes?"

In addition to local government outreach programs, the governor wants to increase mental health and substance use disorder services for individuals experiencing homelessness and strengthen shelter services for those living with mental illness in existing shelters. The Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services will be making on-site peer delivered substance abuse treatment services available in 14 existing shelters across the state.

"We must continue our investment in health care," Gov. Cuomo said. "We must preserve the Medicaid program and (the Children's Health Insurance Program) because in New York health care is not just for the rich and well-off - it is a human right."