The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania from May 29 – June 2. (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)
Medicaid Continuous Coverage Unwinding
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is maintaining 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.
General Assembly
The state House and Senate will return to Harrisburg for voting session Monday, June 5. The following are selected health-related proceedings.
- The House Human Services Committee will hold a joint hearing with the House Veteran Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee Monday, June 5 on the next generation of emergency and mental health response. The hearing will be held at 10:30am in Room 140 of the Main Capitol and will be live streamed here.
- The House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee will hold a voting meeting Monday, June 5 at 11:00am to consider the following bills and resolution:
The meeting will be held in Room 205 of the Ryan Office Building and can be livestreamed here.
- The House Health Committee will hold a voting meeting Tuesday June 6 to consider HB 106, the Patient Safety Act, which sets nursing staffing ratios and HB 754, which provides a standard notice to each nursing home resident and their designated representatives at the time of their admission into a nursing home facility that they have the option of having legal representation to assist with the application for Medicaid benefits. The meeting will be held at 10:00am in Room 205 of the Ryan Office Building and will be live streamed here.
- The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a voting meeting Tuesday, June 6 to consider the following bills and resolutions.
- SB 514, which requires a blood screening for lead exposure of all children by the age of two.
- SB 520, which addresses Medicaid coverage for Assisted Living Residences.
- SR 120, which directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study on the financial impact to EMS providers due to non-reimbursement from Medicaid for “treat and release” services.
The meeting will be held in Room 8E-A East Wing and will be live streamed here.
- The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a public hearing Tuesday, June 6 on Pennsylvania’s EMS crisis and long-term sustainability. The hearing will be held in Room 8E-A East Wing and will be live streamed here.
Department of Health 
The Secretary of Health has issued two final orders temporarily scheduling xylazine as a schedule III controlled substance and nitazenes as a schedule I controlled substance. Following are the two final orders published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
View this press release issued by DOH for additional information about the Shapiro’s administration’s efforts to limit overdose deaths.
Department of Human Services
- The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has published a document with the public comments submitted to DHS as part of the re-procurement of the Community HealthChoices (CHC) program. Comments were submitted between March 6 and April 14, 2023. Find a summary of the CHC RFI public comments here.
- DHS has issued a Medical Assistance (MA) Bulletin advising providers of the updates to the evaluation and management (E & M) procedure codes on the MA Program Fee Schedule, as a result of the 2023 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) updates. In addition, DHS is also making changes to E & M codes currently on the MA Program Fee Schedule. These updates are effective for dates of service on and after June 1, 2023.
- DHS has issued an MA Bulletin advising providers that DHS is end-dating three procedure codes related to the COVID-19 specimen collection by pharmacies and testing by laboratories, effective with dates of service on and after May 12, 2023.
- DHS has issued an MA Bulletin advising providers about certain billing updates for the provision of COVID-19 vaccine counseling-only visits for beneficiaries under the age of 21 when a COVID-19 vaccine is not administered.
- DHS has issued an MA Bulletin advising providers about billing updates for the provision of vaccine counseling-only visits for beneficiaries under the age of 21 for pediatric vaccines provided through the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit when no pediatric vaccines are administered.
State Board of Medicine
The State Board of Medicine issued final rulemaking relating to the application for temporary graduate perfusionist licenses. Find the final rule in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.
Stakeholder Events
Department of Aging – Pharmaceutical Assistance Advisory Board – June 15
The Pharmaceutical Assistance Advisory Board will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday, June 15, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Find additional information and details on how to participate in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.
DHS – Medical Assistance Advisory Committee Meeting – June 22
The Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC) will meet on June 22, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Individuals interested in participating may register here.
PID – 1332 Waiver Reinsurance Program Public Forum – June 28
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) has announced it is accepting public comment on its 1332 State Innovation Waiver Reinsurance Program beginning June 1 and ending June 30. PID will also hold an in-person forum for public comment on Thursday, June 28 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Find additional information and details on how to participate in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.