Pennsylvania state budget issues Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania

PA Health Law Project Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published its March 2022 newsletter Health Law News.

Included in this month’s issue are articles about:

State planning for the use of federal American Rescue Plan money to address the nurse shortage.
The governor’s proposed FY 2023 Medicaid budget.
The Community HealthChoices transition to a new system for paying participant-directed care workers.
Medicaid payment of Medicare Part A premiums for those who meet certain eligibility requirements.

Read about these subjects and more in the Pennsylvania Health Law Project’s March 2022 newsletter.

jsteinbock2022-04-04T15:23:18+00:00April 5th, 2022|Federal Medicaid issues, long-term care, Pennsylvania proposed FY 2023 budget, Pennsylvania state budget issues|Comments Off

PA Health Policy Update for the Week of June 21-25

The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania for the week of June 21-25, 2021. (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)

State-Wide Mask Mandate

The Department of Health announced that it is lifting its order requiring universal face coverings at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, June 28.   See the announcement here. The department continues to urge Pennsylvanians to follow CDC guidance for wearing a mask where required by law, rule, and regulations, including health care, local business, and workplace guidance.  For the protection of themselves and others, individuals who have not yet been vaccinated or are partially vaccinated are still encouraged to wear a mask when in public.

Legislative Update

The following are health care bills that have received third and final consideration in the state House and/or Senate as of Thursday, June 24. Both chambers will hold voting session on Friday and Saturday and we anticipate there will be additional health care-related measures passed. We will provide an update following the end of session on any pertinent bills.

Senate Bill 115 – establishes the Nurse Licensure Compact Act, which upon enactment makes the Commonwealth a party to the Nurse Licensure Compact with all other states that have joined the compact. The bill was passed by the House 146-55 and sent to the Governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 425 – amends the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act to permit a physician to fulfill their duty to obtain a patient’s or the patient’s authorized representative’s consent by a qualified practitioner prior to conducting surgery or administering radiation or chemotherapy blood transfusions, or medications and devices. The bill was unanimously passed by the House on June 24^th and sent to the Governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 484 – adds the chair of the State Veterans’ Commission or a designee to the Pennsylvania Long-term Care Council. The bill was unanimously passed by the House on June 24^th and sent to the Governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 618 – prohibits the use of vaccine passports by government entities. It also prohibits institutions of higher education from requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to use a service, enter a building, or undertake an activity, including attending class in person. In addition, the bill further restricts the Secretary of Health’s ability to implement certain disease control measures for individuals who have not been exposed, potentially or otherwise, to a contagious disease. The bill was signed in the state House and Senate on June 24^th and sent to the governor. The governor has indicated he will veto

Department of Human Services

DHS and its Office of Medical Assistance Programs have posted a Medical Assistance Bulletin on the state’s Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) Program periodicity schedule reminding all providers they must revalidate the Medical Assistance enrollment of each service location every five years. Find the notice here.
DHS has added two COVID-19 antigen laboratory test codes to the Medical Assistance Program Fee Schedule, effective with dates of service on and after November 2, 2020.
DHS has proposed rescinding a regulation that prohibits a provider from leasing space within its office to another provider; see the proposed change in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice. The agency will accept public comment on this proposal and it will become effective when final formal regulations are published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
DHS and its Office of Medical Assistance Programs have updated their guidance on providing direct services via telemedicine in the School-Based ACCESS Program during the COVID-19 emergency.
DHS has posted updates of six of its “provider quick tips.”
DHS has updated its list of providers participating in its Healthy Beginnings Plus program. See the list here.
DHS announced its proposed rates for non-public and county nursing facilities for FY 2022 in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice. These figures will be posted on the DHS web site here.
DHS has updated its guidance on COVID-19 for personal care homes, assisted living residences, and private intermediate-care facilities.
DHS and its Office of Child Development and Early Learning have posted an FAQ on guidance for tuberculin skin testing and COVID-19 vaccinations.

Department of Health

Effective at midnight on June 23, 2021, the Department of Health terminated its order requiring skilled nursing facilities to complete a vaccine needs assessment survey since those facilities are now reporting to the federal government.

COVID-19: By the Numbers

The daily number of new COVID-19 cases continues to decline significantly. The 174 new COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday marked the lowest new daily case count since March 25, 2020, when 276 new cases were announced.
The number of COVID-19 deaths continues to decline significantly as well.
For the week from June 11 through June 17 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate was 1.4 percent, down from 1.9 percent last week and 2.9 percent the week before.
Sixty-four counties had a positivity rate lower than five percent, up from 62 last week, and no counties had a positivity rate greater than 20 percent for the eighth consecutive week.
Thirty-seven counties are currently experiencing low levels of community transmission of COVID-19, up from 22 last week; the remaining 30 Pennsylvania counties are experiencing moderate levels of community transmission and no counties are experiencing a high level of community transmission.
Since June 1 the number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19 has fallen 62 percent; the number on a ventilator has fallen 54 percent; and the number in hospital intensive care units has fallen 70 percent.
5.3 million Pennsylvanians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard. Growth in this number has slowed significantly over the past month and only about 150,000 new vaccinations were reported in the past week. Another 760,000 people have been vaccinated in Philadelphia. According to the state, 59.4 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 years of age and older are now fully vaccinated and 62.2 percent of the entire population has now received at least the first dose of a vaccine.

Around the State

Two Pennsylvania children’s hospitals ranked among the best ten such hospitals in the U.S. in the latest rankings published by U.S. News & World Report: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia ranked second and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh ranked ninth.

Two Pennsylvania-based health insurers, Highmark and Independence Blue Cross, are among five Blues plans joining forces in a new venture called Evio, a for-profit venture that will seek to make prescription drugs more affordable and improve health care outcomes. Learn more here.

Stakeholder Events

Maternal Mortality Review Committee

June 28 at 8:00

This meeting will be held via conference call. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss new and ongoing procedural issues relating to the review process for the committee. To join the call, dial +1 (267) 332-8737 and when prompted, enter the following conference code: 522 321 931#.

DHS Office of Long-Term Living – Financial Management Services Meeting

June 28 at 11:00 a.m.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss upcoming changes in the administration of financial management services under the Community HealthChoices, OBRA Waiver, and Act 150 programs. Representatives from the Office of Long-Term Living and Community HealthChoices managed care organizations will discuss the upcoming changes. Interested parties can join the meeting in the following ways:

From the meeting link:

https://pa-hhs.webex.com/pa-hhs/j.php?MTID=m15e2e495a802f00df6fa38c9e645237d

By meeting number:

Meeting number (access code): 132 280 2499

From a mobile device (attendees only):

1-408-418-9388,,1322802499## United States Toll

1-202-860-2110,,1322802499## United States Toll (Washington D.C.)

By phone:

+1-408-418-9388 United States Toll

+1-202-860-2110 United States Toll (Washington D.C.)

Meeting password: Stakeholder

From a video system or application

Dial 1322802499@pa-hhs.webex.com

You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number

Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee Meeting

July 7 at 10:00 a.m.

This meeting will be held via webinar. Public comments will be taken after each presentation and questions can be entered in the chat box. Interested parties can participate in the following ways:

Webinar registration – go here

Dial in: 1-914-614-3221, access code 716-025-613

Remote captioning and streaming link – go here

Newborn Screening and Follow-Up Technical Advisory Board

July 15 at 10:00

The virtual public meeting will be conducted as a teleconference Skype meeting. The dial-in number is (267) 332-8737 and the conference access ID is 63145728#.

Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program

July 29, 2021 at 10:00

This is a telephone meeting.

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Or call in (audio only)

+1 412-648-8888,,785376728# United States, Pittsburgh

(866) 588-4789,,785376728# United States (Toll-free)

Phone Conference ID: 785 376 728#

Stakeholder Event Report

Medical Assistance Advisory Committee Meeting – June 24

Deputy DHS Secretary Sally Kozak announced that DHS will perform readiness reviews of the managed care organizations selected to participate in the latest HealthChoices program procurement. The procurement remains the subject of litigation so DHS will stop short of negotiating with the managed care organizations until there is a final decision in that case.

Stakeholder Events Materials

DHS has posted four presentations offered at the June 24 meeting of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee. Those presentations were delivered by its:

Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (crisis services)
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (medication-assisted treatment during the public health emergency)
Office of Medical Assistance Programs
Office of Long-Term Living

jsteinbock2021-06-26T13:46:01+00:00June 26th, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, HealthChoices, Medical Assistance Bulletin, Meetings and notices, Pennsylvania Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania Medical Assistance, Pennsylvania proposed FY 2022 budget, Pennsylvania state budget issues|Comments Off

Wolf Administration Proposes New Human Services Initiatives for FY 2021

New human services efforts to support vulnerable populations are a major part of Governor Tom Wolf’s proposed $36.06 billion FY 2021 budget for Pennsylvania.

The proposed budget, presented to the state legislature earlier this week, includes the following new initiatives:

creating pathways to success in the workforce for low-income Pennsylvanians
increasing the minimum wage to $15
increasing Department of Human Services staffing to support licensing and oversight
supporting adults in long-term-care facilities
legal services for vulnerable populations
direct care worker comprehensive training
commitment to performance-based metrics, accountability, and transparency in services and licensing
supporting vulnerable populations through home- and community-based services and reducing waiting lists
prevention services to support at-risk families
improving food security while supporting agriculture

Go here to see DHS’s presentation of these initiatives.

In addition, the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania has prepared a detailed memo describing the proposed FY 2021 budget’s implications for Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals and the state’s Medicaid program. For a copy of this memo, use the “contact us” link in the upper right-hand corner of this page.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-02-07T06:00:38+00:00February 7th, 2020|Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania Medical Assistance, Pennsylvania proposed FY 2021 budget, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals, Pennsylvania state budget issues, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

SNAP Endorses Governor’s Proposal for Paying for Tobacco Borrowing

Debt service on the state’s borrowing against future proceeds from the national master tobacco settlement agreement should be paid using state sales and use tax revenue, SNAP has declared in a new position statement.

Last year the state borrowed $1.5 billion against future proceeds from the tobacco settlement. Some tobacco settlement money is used to help hospitals with the cost of uncompensated care they provide via tobacco uncompensated care payments and tobacco extraordinary expense payments made to hospitals that meet specific criteria: how much uncompensated care they provide, the proportion of their patients insured by Medicaid, and the proportion of low-income seniors they serve. All Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals qualify for these payments.

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logo Because the state’s borrowing against future tobacco settlement proceeds was never intended to result in a reduction of these payments in the future, SNAP has issued a position statement endorsing the Wolf administration’s suggestion, in its proposed FY 2020 budget, to pay debt service on its tobacco borrowing with sales and use tax revenue.

PA Safety Net Admin2019-04-16T06:00:51+00:00April 16th, 2019|Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania proposed FY 2020 budget, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals, Pennsylvania state budget issues|Comments Off

Pennsylvania Health Law Project Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published the February 2019 edition of its newsletter.

Included in this edition are articles about:

Governor Wolf’s proposed FY 2020 Medicaid budget
Medicare Part D co-pay problems for some dual-eligibles
new Medicare Part D monitoring for prescription drug abuse
Community HealthChoices

Find these stories and others in the latest edition of the Pennsylvania Health Law Project’s Health Law PA News.

PA Safety Net Admin2019-03-04T06:00:14+00:00March 4th, 2019|Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania proposed FY 2020 budget, Pennsylvania state budget issues|Comments Off

Governor Proposes FY 2017 Medicaid Budget

On Tuesday, February 9, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf presented his proposed FY 2017 budget to the state legislature.
That budget proposal calls for changes in some current Medicaid spending, including reductions of some supplemental payments and the elimination of others, as well as changes in funding the state’s share of Medicaid and the rate at which the federal government will match Pennsylvania’s own spending on Medicaid in the coming year.
In addition, the budget calls for new and increased spending in selected areas within the purview of the state’s Department of Human Services and Health Department.
SNAP has prepared a detailed memo outlining the potential implications of the proposed FY 2017 budget for safety-net hospitals. The memo also addresses the complications posed by the state’s incomplete FY 2016 budget. Representatives of safety-net hospitals may request a copy of this memo by using the “contact us” link at the top of this screen.

PA Safety Net Admin2016-02-11T06:00:41+00:00February 11th, 2016|Pennsylvania proposed FY 2017 budget, Pennsylvania state budget issues, Proposed FY 2017 Pennsylvania state budget, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

PA Health Law Project Releases Monthly Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published its March 2015 newsletter.
Included in this edition are articles about the state’s changes in how it is expanding its Medicaid program; a look at Governor Wolf’s proposed FY 2016 Medicaid budget; and closer examinations of a proposed expansion of services for older adults and people with disabilities and the budget of the state’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Find the Pennsylvania Health Law Project’s latest newsletter here.

PA Safety Net Admin2015-04-15T06:00:19+00:00April 15th, 2015|HealthChoices PA, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania state budget issues, Proposed FY 2016 Pennsylvania state budget|Comments Off

SNAP Warns of Challenges Ahead

As Pennsylvania lawmakers contemplate the state’s FY 2015 budget, the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania has issued a new position paper reminding those officials of the challenges the state’s private safety-net hospitals face in the current environment and the need for adequate, stable funding as they tackle those challenges.
Among those challenges are low-income patients with distinct needs, major cuts in federal Medicare payments that especially target safety-net hospitals, and powerful economic forces marshaled by government, insurers, and others that seek to compel hospitals to deliver care in different ways, be paid differently for their efforts, align their incentives differently with other providers, and invest heavily in information technology.
Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals are prepared to do all these things, but to achieve such progress, they need financial stability and predictability: they need to know that their Medical Assistance funding will not be at risk as the state experiences various budget challenges.
Read SNAP’s perspective on these issues in its new position paper, “Pennsylvania’s Safety-Net Hospitals: The Need for Stable and Predictable Funding Amid Increasing Challenges,” which can be found here, on SNAP’s web site.

PA Safety Net Admin2014-06-30T06:00:31+00:00June 30th, 2014|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania state budget issues, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

Protect Uncompensated Care Payments, SNAP Tells State Officials

Although only 25 percent of the state’s acute-care hospitals, Pennsylvania’s private safety-net hospitals account for 45 percent of the $1 billion in uncompensated care those hospitals provide to uninsured Pennsylvanians every year.
And now, as the governor and legislature consider the state’s FY 2015 budget, the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania is urging those officials to preserve state payments that help qualified hospitals with those uncompensated care costs and enable them to continue constituting the core of Pennsylvania’s health care safety net.
Tobacco Uncompensated Care Fund payments are supplemental state payments to hospitals that provide significant amounts of uncompensated care; they are underwritten by proceeds from the national master tobacco settlement of 1998 and matched by the federal government. As lawmakers work on the state’s FY 2015 budget, SNAP is urging them to expend available FY 2014 funding already authorized for this purpose and not to use FY 2015 tobacco settlement funding for any purpose other than what was prescribed in Act 71 of 2013.
These views and background information on the role private safety-net hospitals play in caring for low-income, Medicaid-covered, and uninsured Pennsylvanians are addressed in a new SNAP position paper, “The Importance of Preserving Uncompensated Care Payments.” Find that position paper here.

PA Safety Net Admin2014-06-27T06:00:37+00:00June 27th, 2014|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania state budget issues|Comments Off

PA Safety-Net Hospitals Mean Jobs

While providing most of the care to Pennsylvania’s Medicaid and uninsured populations, the state’s 41 private safety-net hospitals also employ more people than other hospitals and pay better wages than most employers.
They also are among the biggest employers in their communities, drive local economic development, and generate millions in local and state tax revenue.
As state lawmakers consider Pennsylvania’s FY 2015 budget, the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania urges them to preserve adequate funding for the state’s Medicaid program so these hospitals can continue their work serving Pennsylvanians in need and functioning as one of the state’s major economic engines.
Read more about the outsized role private safety-net hospitals play in Pennsylvania’s health care safety net and its economy in the new SNAP paper “Pennsylvania Safety-Net Hospitals: Economic Engines Driving Pennsylvania Communities,” which can be found here.

PA Safety Net Admin2014-06-26T06:00:56+00:00June 26th, 2014|Pennsylvania state budget issues, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

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