We the residents of New York State call upon our Legislators and the Governor to pass the current legislation S4623 A7003 which authorizes Qualified Healthcare Professionals (QHP) in New York State to determine when addicition treatment is needed, the type of treatment indicated and the duration for each treatment episode. New York has been plaqued with an epidemic in prescription and other drug addiction and in some areas like western NY and on Long Island hundreds of young people have died from overdose deaths in the past few years. While progress has been made with the passage of the Good Samaritan Law and the I-STOP legislation the treatment access and authorization componenets must now be addressed to meet the anticipated increased demand for. For years insurers have routinely denied access to inpatient treatment or in those rare instances when approval is given limit the stay to 3 or 5 or 7 days essentially rendering the treatment ineffective and contributing to a vicuos cycle of short term abstinence and relapse draining our economy of vital resurces. It is time to let the experts step in and oversee treatment to help minimize sensless deaths and afford a greater numer of folks the iopportunity the chae to recover. There are more then 23 million americans in long term recovery from addiciton and for many sorely neeeded treatment was the foundation stone to a chemical free lifestyle.