What's happening
This bill increases the Public Health and Health Planning Council's membership and requires inclusion of health care consumer advocacy representatives.
Why it matters
Expanding the council by two members and specifically reserving seats for health care consumer advocacy representatives ensures that patient perspectives and the interests of vulnerable populations are directly included in statewide health planning and policy decisions.
Mandating that at least three members be from recognized health care consumer advocacy organizations strengthens the council’s accountability to the public and may lead to health planning that better addresses affordability, accessibility, and equity in care.
By clarifying and updating the types of expertise required among appointed members, the bill seeks to create a more balanced and representative advisory body, likely improving the quality and diversity of policy recommendations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Add Advocates to Health Council
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Substituted by A9530
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.423
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Add Seats to Health Council
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Richard Gottfried
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7304
IN SENATE
January 16, 2020
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to membership on the public health and health planning council
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 220 of the public health law, as amended by section 7 of part N of chapter 56 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
§ 220. Public health and health planning council; appointment of members. There shall continue to be in the department a public health and health planning council to consist of the commissioner and fourteen members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate; provided that effective December first, two thousand ten, the membership of the council shall consist of the commissioner and [twenty-four] twenty-six members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Membership on the council shall be reflective of the diversity of the state's population including, but not limited to, the various geographic areas and population densities throughout the state. The members shall include representatives of the public health system, health care providers that comprise the state's health care delivery system, individuals with expertise in the clinical and administrative aspects of health care delivery, issues affecting health care consumers, health planning, health care financing and reimbursement, health care regulation and compliance, and public health practice and at least two members shall also be members of the behavioral health services advisory council; at least four members shall be representatives of general hospitals or nursing homes; at least three members shall be representatives of health care consumer advocacy organizations which have a statewide or regional constituency and have been involved in activities related to health care consumer advocacy including issues of interest to low- and moderate-income individuals; and at least one member shall be a representative of each of the following groups: home care agencies, diagnostic and treatment centers, health
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14864-01-0
S. 7304 2
care payors, and labor organizations for health care employees[, and health care consumer advocacy organizations].
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all members of the public health and health planning council appointed or re-appointed on and after that date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to membership on the public health and health planning council
Purpose of bill
To expand the Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) to include additional consumer representation.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends § 220 of the Public Health Law to increase the number of PHHPC appointees by the Governor from 24 to 26. The bill would also increase the required number of representatives of health care consumer advocacy organizations on the PHHPC from one to three.
Section 2 of the bill is the effective date.
Justification
The Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) makes decisions and recommendations to the Commissioner of Health regarding health care facility establishment, transfer, construction, and services and Health Department regulations. Established by Public Health Law § 225, PHHPC currently has 24 members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Of these 24, 11 are in required categories and the other 13 are chosen from among an extremely broad category encom- passing practically the entirety of health care provision and payment.
Consumer advocates have raised concerns that this has created a struc- ture that significantly under represents patients directly affected by the Council's decisions with just one consumer appointee. This bill addresses this concern by adding additional consumer representatives. The bill also spells out a clearer definition of "health care consumer advocacy organization" than is in current law in order to ensure that the concerns of low- and moderate- income patients are heard.
This bill is a modification of A4071/S870 of 2019. A4071/S870 would have increased PHHPC membership from 24 to 36 people. In the veto message the Governor raised quorum concerns due to size of the increase, but also said he supported the intent of diversifying PHHPC to reflect the commu- nity and that he would appoint additional consumer advocates. However, a statutory chance is necessary in order to create the additional seats for those consumers.
Legislative history
New bill
Fiscal implications
To be determined
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately, and shall apply to all members of the public health and health planning council appointed or re-ap- pointed on and after that date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.