Per the notice below, Governor Hochul has announced her health care ideas for 2025, including her plans for dentistry.

Governor Hochul Proposes New Initiatives to Strengthen New York’s Health Care System and Expand Access to Care

Improving Outcomes for Individuals Struggling With Obesity Through Access to Life-Changing GLP-1 Medications

Mandating Minimum Standards for Standalone Dental Plans To Simplify and Improve Care for Consumers

Ensuring Access to Emergency Medical Care and Extending the Safety Net Transformation Program

Providing Air Conditioning Units for Pregnant New Yorkers and People With Chronic Conditions

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced initiatives aimed at improving health care coverage and fortifying New York’s health care system as part of her 2025 State of the State.  These initiatives include expanding access to life-changing GLP-1 medications for individuals struggling with obesity, simplifying and improving dental coverage for consumers, and expanding coverage for air conditioning units for pregnant women and people with chronic conditions.  Additionally, the Governor will introduce new legislation to ensure all New Yorkers have access to emergency medical services and expand the Safety Net Transformation Program.

“As we continue our post-pandemic recovery, it’s critical to make investments and innovations in our health care system,” Governor Hochul said.  “This year our health proposals will put more money back in the pockets of New Yorkers and ensure they have access to affordable, high-quality care.”

Increasing Availability of Lifesaving Obesity Medications

Obesity contributes to increased risks of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other serious conditions, and tackling obesity remains a challenge in New York.  Cost barriers have left many Medicaid patients without access to life-changing medications, including Wegovy and Ozempic — glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists that have transformed obesity treatments.

To address this, Governor Hochul is directing the Department of Health to evaluate access to GLP-1 drugs for Medicaid members at high-risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attack or stroke.  New York will also work with other states to pressure drug companies to bring down prices of GLP-1s and address the inequitable access to these life-changing medications, and make them more available to more New Yorkers.  These initiatives will aim to improve outcomes for individuals struggling with obesity and reduce the health inequities preventing access to these treatments.

Expanding Access to Dental Care

The link between dental care and overall health is well-recognized, yet many New Yorkers face significant challenges in accessing vital oral health services.  Governor Hochul plans to establish minimum standards for dental plans available in the Marketplace and explore the use of federal 1332 Waiver funding to subsidize the costs of purchasing dental plans.  To enhance access even further, Governor Hochul will introduce legislation that permits dental hygienists to work in a broader range of settings.  In addition, the Department of Health will take steps to encourage health plans to reinvest funds into innovative initiatives that improve dental care availability.

Accessing dental care poses challenges for New Yorkers.  Nearly half of adults with health care debt owe at least some of this debt for dental care.  Unlike medical plans, dental plans lack consistent standards under the Affordable Care Act, leading to confusion over costs and benefits.  There are no minimum coverage standards for dental plans, making it difficult for the 260,000 New Yorkers enrolled on the individual Marketplace to navigate varying benefits and costs.  To address this, New York will introduce a Standard Adult Dental Plan in 2026, requiring stand-alone dental plans to meet minimum standards to simplify and improve dental care for consumers.

Ensuring Access to Emergency Medical Services

New York has taken major steps in the last two years to buttress the state’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system.  However, there are areas across the state where EMS services are not consistently and reliably available.

Governor Hochul will introduce legislation defining EMS as an essential service and requiring counties to ensure all residents have adequate access to these services.  Such legislation will also require counties to develop a county EMS mapping that will allow New York to identify and fill gaps in coverage, coordinated statewide by the State EMS Task Force, which was established by Governor Hochul in 2022.

Extending the Safety Net Transformation Program

Safety-net healthcare institutions in New York face challenges in maintaining resilience and stability.  To address this, in 2024 Governor Hochul established the Safety Net Transformation Program, providing financial support and regulatory flexibility to encourage strategic partnerships, and strengthen hospital systems.  In its first year, the program experienced demand that far exceeded the available funding.

To meet this demand, Governor Hochul will allocate additional resources to the program.  This commitment will support worthy applications and foster new partnerships to stabilize and strengthen New York’s safety-net hospitals for the future.

Expanding Access to Air Conditioning Units for People With Chronic Conditions

In New York State, climate change is intensifying the severity, duration and frequency of extreme heat events.  In 2024, Governor Hochul announced an expansion of coverage for the purchase, delivery, and installation of air conditioners in the Essential Plan for members at significant medical risk due to asthma.  To build on this achievement, Governor Hochul plans to broaden the eligibility criteria for air conditioning units to include pregnant women and those with additional health conditions aggravated by extreme heat, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.  This expansion will take effect in 2026 and is projected to ensure that up to 15,000 additional Essential Plan enrollees can access air conditioning units, significantly mitigating the effects of extreme heat on vulnerable populations.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “These proposals, including expanding access to dental care, medications to treat obesity, and improving access to air conditioning units, illustrate the Governor's commitment to address real problems of New Yorkers and help them live well.”