The proposal would cover anti-psychotic drugs for patients suffering from an array of mental illnesses

By Michael Gormley

Buried in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget for New York is a cost-cutting measure that would empower the state and health insurance companies to deny low-income mental patients the specific brand-name anti-psychotic drugs their doctors prescribe, in favor of less expensive versions.

Some care providers worry that some of those patients could be dangerous without an effective drug or if they stop taking it. The proposal would cover anti-psychotic drugs for patients suffering from an array of mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders and deep depression.

“The additional hoops we have to go through may mean their symptoms go on longer,” said Dr. Anna Lamb, a primary care physician in Batavia and president of the New York State Osteopathic Medical Society.

“They may become less functional,” Lamb said. “In the mental health world, it can be very frustrating because you run the risk that the drugs may not be effective, or have side effects … the idea is to help them become productive members of society.”

Cuomo insists that eliminating the “prescriber prevails” power wielded by physicians will pose no public threat, noting that the state’s preferred list of anti-psychotic drugs includes 13 brand names.

MORE: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Gov-Andrew-Cuomo-State-Budget-Anti-Psychotic-Drugs-Mental-Illness-188487781.html