Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a significant package of health-related legislation into law, addressing issues ranging from facility finance to public health safety. Key enactments include a measure regulating financial withdrawals by residential health care facilities (S8804), a mandate for employers to include opioid antagonists in first aid kits (A9453), and statutory updates replacing the term ‘addict’ with ‘person with substance use disorder’ (S8758).

In the legislature, the Senate has advanced several high-profile bills to the floor or passed them through chamber, focusing heavily on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform and prescription drug costs. Notable advancements include requirements for passing rebates to patients (S2128) and ensuring pharmacy payments meet acquisition costs (S5939). Additionally, the Senate passed legislation mandating anti-bias training for medical students (S317) and requiring Senate confirmation for the State Medicaid Director (S353).