Bethany Bump reports for the Times Union that this week Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill that removes restrictions on addiction treatment drugs for lower-income Medicaid recipients, while signing a bill that removes restrictions on addiction treatment drugs for privately insured New Yorkers. Both bills would remove prior authorization requirements of health plans for drugs that treat opioid addiction. Cuomo signed the version for New Yorkers who can afford their own insurance, and vetoed the version for Medicaid recipients. Cuomo said the Medicaid bill would give an “unfair competitive advantage” to “one pharmaceutical manufacturer in particular,” but did not say which company. Others disagreed with the governor’s veto. “The message is clear – there are two different standards for people with a substance use disorder in New York: instant access and choice for people with private insurance and barriers and only limited options for people who do not have private insurance,” said John Coppola, executive director of the New York Association of Addiction Services and Professionals. Read more about this story in the Times Union.