BILL NUMBER: S4950
SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to the payment for
services at addiction treatment centers operated by the office of
addiction services and supports
 
PURPOSE:
Relates to the payment for services at addiction treatment centers oper-
ated by the office of addiction services and supports
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 25.17 of the mental hygiene law expanding the
fee schedules to include services at addiction treatment centers by the
office of addiction services and supports.
Section 2 states the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a life threatening disorder that can
affect individuals of all social and economic backgrounds. With
substance use, an individual's willingness or desire to get help or the
realization that help is necessary can fade quickly, further reiterating
the need for industry to acknowledge that no door is the wrong door to
seek treatment, and that time is of the essence.
Individuals should not be turned away from life saving services regard-
less of their ability to pay. The facilities run by the Office of
Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) should be held under the same
standards as OASAS funded community-based facilities currently are. This
legislation seeks to save lives by creating a pathway to treatment
regardless of the individual's current ability to pay.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: S3390A/A4213 - Passed Senate/Died in Ways & Means
2021-2022: S7350/A8358 - Died in Alcoholism and Substance Use
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
on or before such effective date.

Statutes affected:
S4950: 25.17 mental hygiene law