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PA Health Policy Update for May 19

The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania from May 15 – 19. (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)

Medicaid Continuous Coverage Unwinding

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced it will maintain an online dashboard with Medicaid continuous coverage unwinding data. The data on this dashboard tracks the renewal process by county and zip code. Additional updates and resources about the Medicaid eligibility renewal process may be found here.

2023 Primary Election

Pennsylvania’s 2023 primary election was held on Tuesday, May 16. In addition to judicial and municipal elections, Pennsylvanians in two legislative districts voted in a special election to fill vacancies in the state House of Representatives. Democrat Heather Boyd defeated Republican Katie Ford to represent the 163 Legislative District and Republican Michael Stender defeated Democrat Trevor Finn to represent the 108 Legislative District. The outcome of these two special elections enables the Democrats to maintain their one-vote majority in the House.

General Assembly

The House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee held a public hearing on May 18 to discuss access to rural medicine and health care in Pennsylvania. A recording of the hearing can be viewed here.

The state House will return to Harrisburg for voting session Monday, May 22. The following are selected health-related proceedings.

- The House Health Committee will hold a voting meeting Monday, May 22 at 10:00am to consider, among several resolutions, HB 1131 sponsored by Representative Lisa Borowski, which would remove the requirement for counties to operate state health centers in counties establishing their own local health departments. The meeting will be held in Room G-50 of the Irvis Office Building and will be live streamed here.

- The House Human Services Committee will hold a voting meeting Tuesday, May 23 at 9:00am to consider, HB 849 sponsored by Representative Mike Schlossberg, to allocate funding for the Behavioral Health Commission on Adult Mental Health’s recommendations for funding, and HB 931 sponsored by Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, to establish the Kinship Care Legal Assistance Grant Program. The meeting will be held in Room 523 of the Irvis Office Building and can be live streamed here.

The state Senate will return to Harrisburg for voting session Monday, June 5.

Department of Health

The Department of Health began to register Temporary Health Care Services Agencies (THCSA) this month, as directed by Act 128 of 2022. THCSAs are entities engaged in the business of procuring temporary employment in health care facilities for nurse aides, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and direct care staff. The statute requires any person that owns or operates a THCSA to register annually with the department and provide a list of each separate location. An application, instructions, and additional resources can be found on the THCSA website.

Department of Human Services

The Department of Human Services (DHS) released the agenda for the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee’s (MAAC) May 25 meeting.

Personal care homes and assisted living residences are reminded that after May 11, they should report any COVID-19 outbreaks through the department’s Reportable Incident and Condition form for reporting. If a facility experiences a significant outbreak, it can contact the regional licensing office and ongoing assistance with infection prevention and control is available through the LTC-RISE program.

DHS has updated its calendar of mailing dates for Remittance Advices and corresponding electronic transfers and checks through June. Find the updated calendar here.

Independent Regulatory Review Commission

The Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) met May 18 and considered the following health-related regulations:

Temporary Graduate Perfusionist License (Approved 5-0)
- No. 3365 State Board of Medicine #16A-4954
- No. 3366 State Board of Osteopathic Medicine #16A-5332
Environmental Quality Board #7-574: Radiological Health Fees (Approved 5-0)

Stakeholder Events

DHS – Medical Assistance Consumer Subcommittee – May 24

The Consumer Subcommittee of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, May 24 at 1:00 pm. Go here to register to participate.

DHS – Medical Assistance Advisory Committee – May 25

The Medical Assistance Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, May 25 at 10:00 a.m. Go here to register to participate.

PA Health Policy Update for May 5

The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania from May 1 – 5. (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)

Medicaid Eligibility Redetermination

The Department of Human Services (DHS) published the first section of an online dashboard with Medicaid continuous coverage unwinding data. The data on this dashboard tracks the renewal process by county and zip code.

Additional updates and resources about the Medicaid eligibility renewal process may be found here.

Governor Shapiro

Governor Shapiro signed the first bill of his administration on Monday. Act 1, formerly Senate Bill 8, requires insurers to cover all costs associated with genetic counseling and genetic testing for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation if a person is diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer or has a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, and also requires insurers to cover all costs associated with a supplemental breast screening by MRI or Ultrasound for women at increased risk of breast cancer. View this press release for additional information.

The Shapiro administration announced today that all commonwealth agencies completed a comprehensive review of their respective licensing, certification, and permitting processes as directed in the governor’s January 31 executive order. The administration will now work to establish “efficient processing times” for all permits and licenses.

General Assembly

The state House and Senate returned to Harrisburg on May 1 for voting session. Below is coverage of selected health-related proceedings.

- The House Health Committee held a public hearing Tuesday, May 2 on HB 106, the Patient Safety Act, which sets nursing staffing ratios. A recording of the hearing can be viewed here.

- Representative Jennifer O’Mara (D-Delaware), Representative Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne) and Senator Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) held a press conference Wednesday on hospital closure reform. More information can be found here.

- The House Republican Policy Committee held a public hearing Thursday, May 4 on hospital pricing transparency. A recording of the hearing can be viewed here.

- The Senate voted to confirm Governor Josh Shapiro’s nominee for the Secretary of Aging, Jason Kavulich, this week. A recording of the confirmation hearing in the Senate Aging and Youth Committee can be viewed here.

- The Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a voting meeting on Tuesday, May 2 to consider among other bills:
  - SB 100, Establishing the Lyme Disease and Related Tick-Borne Illness Diagnosis and Treatment Act. The bill was unanimously reported as committed.
  - SB 262, Amends the Maternal Mortality Review Committee Act regarding reportable events. The bill was unanimously reported as committed.
  - SB 414, Expanding access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE). The bill was unanimously reported as committed.
  - SB 500, Provides for Medicaid Coverage for Pasteurized Donor Human Milk. The bill was unanimously reported as committed.
  - SB 549, Requires consent for pelvic, rectal, and prostate exams. The bill was unanimously reported as amended.
  - SB 555, Reducing the loaded mileage requirements for EMS Medicaid reimbursement. The bill was unanimously reported as committed.

A recording of the meeting can be viewed here.

The state Senate will return to Harrisburg for voting session Monday, May 8. The state House is recessed and will return to Harrisburg for voting session Monday, May 22. The following are selected health-related proceedings.

- The House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee will hold an information meeting Wednesday, May 10 at 10:00am to receive updates from local Area Agencies on Aging and to discuss scams targeting older adults. The meeting will be held in Room G-50 of the Irvis Office Building and will be livestreamed here.

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General Michelle Henry issued the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document regarding medication abortion and mifepristone access in Pennsylvania.

Department of Health

The Department of Health’s (DOH) Division of Newborn Screening and Genetics, with support of the Newborn Screening and Follow-up Technical Advisory Board, is proposing that Guanidinoacetate Methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency screening be added effective January 1, 2024 to the supplemental conditions mandated for screening. Additional information can be viewed in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

Department of Human Services

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced its intent to increase the funding and amend the payment methodology for the COVID-19 disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments for qualifying acute care general hospitals for FY 2022-23. Learn more from this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

DHS published final notice of its intent to allocate funding and amend the qualifying criteria and payment methodology allocation for DSH payments to acute-care general hospital trauma centers. These payments will amount to $18.034 million in total funds. Learn more from this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

DHS published final notice of its funding allocation for FY 2022-23 supplemental payments to promote the continuation of quality medical services to individuals enrolled in the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance (MA) Program, and to provide financial relief to hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more from this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

DHS published updates to the Medical Assistance (MA) Program Fee Schedule for administration of a booster dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine manufactured by Novavax. Learn more from this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

DHS has announced the temporary extension of the Alternative Payment Methodology (APM) for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and Rural Health Clinics (RHC) for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines administered during a COVID-19 vaccine-only visit. The APM will be extended beyond the end of the federal PHE to September 30, 2024. Learn more from this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) shared a notice issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR) informing stakeholders there will be a 90-day transition period following the conclusion of the federal PHE for covered health care providers to come into compliance with HIPAA rules for telehealth. The transition period will be in effect from May 12, 2023 to 11:59 p.m. on August 9, 2023.

DHS has issued an updated Provider Quick Tip (#263) regarding the electronic submission process in the PROMISe Portal for Office of Medical Assistance Fee-for-Service (FFS) and Office of Long Term Living (OLTL) 180-day exception requests and other claims requiring documentation.

DHS issued a corrected April Medical Assistance Bulletin (MAB) list. A prior version was shared with the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC) at its April 27 meeting.

Revenue Collection Update

The Department of Revenue announced Pennsylvania collected $5.7 billion in General Fund revenue in April, which was $51.1 million, or 0.9 percent, more than anticipated. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $37.9 billion, which is $1.2 billion, or 3.3 percent, above estimate.

Stakeholder Events

DOH – WIC Advisory Board – May 10

The WIC Program Advisory will meet on May 10 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Additional information and details on how to participate can be viewed in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

DHS – Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee – May 12

The Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee will hold a meeting on Friday, May 12 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the Department of Education Building’s Honors Suite, 1st floor, at 333 Market Street in Harrisburg, or via webinar. You may register for the webinar here.

DOH – HIV Community Prevention Planning Committee – May 18

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Community Prevention Planning Committee will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, May 17 and Thursday, May 18. For information on how to participate, review this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.