This week, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her first State of the State address to officially kick off the 2022 legislative session and forecast some of her priorities for this year's state budget. From Families Together's perspective, there are some clear bright spots regarding children's mental health including
- $2 Billion for Health and Mental Health Worker retention bonuses,
- $500M for Cost of Living Adjustments
- Telehealth reimbursement equivalent to traditional services, parity across commercial insurance plans, and requiring insurances network adequacy.
- Aligning Child Health Plus mental health benefits with Medicaid benefits, such as Children and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS)
- Provide Home-Based Crisis Intervention to More Families
- Integrate Mental Health Services into Pediatric Primary Care
- 10,000 Supportive Housing bed capacity that includes opportunities for runaway and homeless youth.
However, noticeably absent are issues related to child welfare. This list is not exhaustive and we anticipate more specific details on each proposal in the Executive Budget proposal expected to be released on January 18th.