New York state has more than 377,000 children living with asthma. Asthma is a chronic disease that has no cure — but, while it can be frightening and even deadly, it can also be managed with the right doctor and care.
Making sure that these children have access to quality and affordable health care to obtain the medications and treatments necessary to manage this disease and live a healthy life must be a legislative priority in Albany for 2019.
Shockingly, today in New York state not all of the doctor-recommended treatments are covered. Even some asthma medications — which can be life-saving — are inconsistently covered and access to them often requires patients to overcome a variety of barriers. There is no coverage for asthma-related home visits, despite the fact that, according to the 2013 National Health Interview Survey, close to half of school-aged children forced to stay home from school at least one or more days because they had asthma symptoms. These gaps are unacceptable and must be addressed during the 2019 legislative session.
