Requires cultural awareness and competence training for medical professionals, including two hours of course work or training encompassing minority healthcare issues; provides an exemption for certain individuals; requires hospitals and facilities to request documentation of the completion of training from employees and prospective employees.
Establishes the mental health educational opportunity program and the mental health higher educational opportunity program to provide additional educational opportunities for students at certain universities and colleges in the state to enroll in academic programs that lead to a degree or degrees required for licensure in any of the mental health professions.
This bill removes a specific section from the public health law that previously addressed individuals who knew they had a venereal disease. By repealing this section, the legislation stops the state from enforcing any rules or penalties related to that specific requirement. The change takes effect immediately and prevents any new legal actions from being started under the old rule.
Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state health and mental hygiene budget for the 2026-2027 state fiscal year; extends provisions requiring the quarterly assessment of known and projected department of health state fund Medicaid expenditures (Part A); extends certain health provisions (Part B); extends certain provisions of law relating to the health care reform act; extends provisions relating to the distribution of pool allocations and graduate medical education; extends provisions relating to health care initiative pool distributions; extends payment provisions for general hospitals; extends provisions relating to assessments on covered lives; extends the personal care services worker recruitment and retention program (Part C); relates to insurance coverage for medical malpractice paid for by funds from the hospital excess liability pool; extends portions of the New York Health Care Reform Act of 1996 (Part D); makes technical corrections to certain provisions of law relating to the New York State Dental Foundation and other provisions of law (Part F); relates to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) (Part G); extends certain provisions relating to payments from the New York state medical indemnity fund (Part I); relates to temporary health care services agencies and protecting individuals engaged to provide health care services by such agencies (Part J); restores capital rate reductions for nursing homes (Part L); limits the amount payable for certain services provided to certain eligible persons who are also beneficiaries under part B of title XVII of the federal social security act or are also qualified Medicare beneficiaries; clarifies Medicaid requirements for biomarker testing (Part M); relates to hospital and nursing home fee-for-service reimbursement rates and reductions in hospital capital rate add-ons (Part O); directs the commissioners of the office of mental health, office for people with developmental disabilities, office of addiction services and supports, office of temporary and disability assistance, office of children and family services and the director of the state office for the aging to establish a state fiscal year 2026-2027 targeted inflationary increase for projecting for the effects of inflation upon rates of payments, contracts, or any other form of reimbursement for certain programs and services; requires such commissioners and director to provide funding to support a 2.7% targeted inflationary increase for such programs and services (Part P); changes "substance use" to substance-related and addictive disorder claims for purposes of the insurance law and public health law (Part R); relates to the effectiveness of provisions of law relating to Medicaid management; removes certain provisions providing for lower minimum amounts of certain state aid for the city of New York than the rest of the state (Part T); extends certain government rates for behavioral services referencing the office of addiction services and supports and relates to the effectiveness thereof (Part U); relates to the effectiveness of certain provisions of law relating to the closure or transfer of a state-operated individualized residential alternative (Part V); extends the care demonstration program (Part W); relates to medical assistance for needy persons age sixty-five or older and who are eligible for medical assistance but for their immigration status through the fee-for-service program (Part X); provides for an amended New York managed care organization provider tax at a rate of 0.35% effective January 1, 2027 (Part Y); provides that services provided in school-based health centers shall not be provided to medical assistance recipients through managed care programs (Part Z); extends provisions of law relating to reimbursement rates for medically fragile children and pediatric diagnostic and treatment centers (Part AA); amends provisions for dispute resolution for emergency services and surprise bills; provides for benchmarking of amounts allowed for health care services provider in the same or similar specialty and provided in the same geographical area (Part BB).
Directs the commissioner of corrections and community supervision, in consultation with the commissioner of health and the commissioner of mental health, to develop a uniform electronic medical records system to be utilized by all correctional facilities in the state.
This bill allows licensed creative arts therapists (as defined under New York's Education Law Article 163) to bill Medicaid directly for their services. It amends the social services law to explicitly include these therapists in the list of providers permitted to bill Medicaid directly for covered mental health services. The change affects creative arts therapists who currently provide services within their scope of practice but may have previously needed intermediaries to access Medicaid reimbursement. The bill does not alter their scope of practice or expand covered services - it only changes the billing mechanism. This would streamline payment for these therapists while maintaining existing Medicaid coverage rules.
Requires health care plans and payors to have a minimum of twelve and one-half percent of their total expenditures on physical and mental health annually be for primary care services.
This bill amends New York's domestic relations law to guide judges in child custody cases. It requires courts to ignore the parents' sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression when deciding what is best for the child. Additionally, the law explicitly forbids judges from stopping a parent from undergoing gender reassignment as part of their custody determination. These changes apply immediately to ensure that custody decisions focus on the child's welfare without penalizing parents for their gender identity or medical transitions.
This bill requires licensed cosmetologists and barbers to complete an eight-hour mental health first aid training program. The training teaches participants to recognize symptoms of mental health crises (like anxiety or depression), safely de-escalate situations, and refer clients to appropriate community resources. All current licensees and new applicants must complete this certified training to maintain or obtain their licenses. The law aims to enhance community safety by equipping beauty professionals - who interact closely with the public - with skills to support individuals in mental health distress.
Repeals managed long term care provisions for Medicaid recipients; establishes provisions for fully integrated plans for long term care including PACE and MAP plans.
