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December 13, 2011

Gov. Cuomo signs prescription bills into law

By  Associated Press / Associated Press


ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Health insurers in New York will no longer be allowed to require policy holders to have their prescriptions filled by mail under a bill signed into law Tuesday that is considered win for local drug stores and for immigrants.

The law approved by the Legislature earlier this year was signed Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It would require prescriptions filled by the local pharmacy to cost no more than the mail order prescriptions some health insurers prefer. Cuomo also signed into law a measure that requires fertility drugs to cost the same whether purchased at a local pharmacy or by mail order.

Strong lobbies for pharmacies have sought the change after insurers started encouraging or requiring policy holders to use mail-order pharmaceutical companies.

“Both of these bills seek to improve consumer convenience,” Cuomo wrote in his approval message. But he secured agreements from the Senate and Assembly to approve amendments that require retail pharmacies to agree to accept the same reimbursement rate and terms and conditions created for mail-order pharmacies.

“Access to community pharmacies plays a significant role in the delivery of quality health care in working class and Latino neighborhoods,” said Theo Oshiro, director of health advocacy for Make the Road New York. “Independent pharmacies in Latino neighborhoods speak fluently to their Latino customers. The same holds true in Chinese, Russian and other ethnic communities throughout the city. This added value would be lost for persons forced to use mail order pharmacies.”

Express Scripts, a company in the mail-order pharmacy business, said Cuomo’s stipulations are essential.

“While we still believe that a veto would have better served New Yorkers, the amendments agreed upon today will help to keep the cost of prescription drugs for small businesses and consumers from dramatically increasing,” said Jonah Houts of Express Scripts.

To read the original article, click here.


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Victory for Immigrant Families: Preventing Unjust Deportations in NYC

On March 18, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg signed new legislation to stop federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using NYC’s criminal justice system to deport thousands of New Yorkers.

Building on legislation we helped to win just over a year ago, Local Laws 21 and 22 prohibit not only the Department of Correction but now also the NYPD from spending millions of city taxpayer dollars to hold individuals on behalf of ICE agents for detention and deportation. Each year, thousands of New York families will stay together who would otherwise have been torn apart by overly aggressive, indiscriminate immigration enforcement.

At a moment when the country is debating immigration reform, with these laws, New York City sends a clear message to Washington that tearing apart thousands of immigrant families is bad policy.

With your support, we look forward to winning national reform that keeps families together. We thank our partners at the Center for Popular Democracy, the Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic and the bills’ sponsors, NYC Council Speaker Quinn and Council Member Mark-Viverito, for their courageous leadership.


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