For immediate release
Contact: Liz Benjamin | liz@marathonstrategies.com | 518.424.0356
New York, December 12, 2022 – The Save NY’s Safety Net coalition issued the following statement in response to the surprise resignation of State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett:
“Dr. Mary T. Bassett is a champion for vulnerable New Yorkers, and her abrupt departure raises serious concerns about the future of the State Health Department (DOH) at a critical time.
There were already questions about the Department’s refusal to listen to on-the-ground stakeholders about the damage that will be inflicted by the Medicaid pharmacy benefit carve-out. The inevitable upheaval caused by the commissioner’s resignation undoubtedly will make matters far worse.
Now is not the time to implement an ill-conceived and outdated plan that will cause chaos in the lives of patients, making it more difficult for them to access life-saving care and exacerbating inequities in the state’s healthcare system.
Governor Hochul must cancel the carve-out immediately, as it is clear the DOH is in no position to follow through on its promises to replace the millions of dollars in annual revenue that the carve-out will rob from safety-net providers.”
