The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania from May 22 – 26.  (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.) 

Medicaid Continuous Coverage Unwinding 

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has updated its 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

On Thursday Governor Shapiro signed Executive Order 2023-09 directing the Department of Aging to prepare and develop a Master Plan for Older Adults, which will serve as a 10-year roadmap to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s senior population and improve commonwealth services for older Pennsylvanians. Find additional information in this press release issued by the governor’s office. 

General Assembly 

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

  • The House Health Committee held a voting meeting Monday, May 22 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 bill was unanimously reported as committed. A recording of the meeting can be viewed here.
  • The House Human Services Committee held a voting meeting Tuesday, May 23 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, which was reported as amended. HB 849 was reported as amended and the amended text can be found here. A recording of the meeting can be viewed here.

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 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 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 Department of Health has issued a Health Advisory (2023 – PAHAN – 697) with information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding an outbreak of suspected fungal meningitis among U.S. patients hospitalized in Texas. 

Department of Human Services

  • The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced the addition of certain procedure codes to the Medical Assistance (MA) program fee schedule for the administration of additional bivalent doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer. Find additional information in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.
  • DHS has announced updates to the MA program fee schedule for evaluation and management (E&M) procedure codes, including making adjustments to the fees for some procedure codes. These updates are effective for dates of service on and after June 1, 2023. Find additional information in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.
  • DHS has announced the addition of procedure codes G0312 and G0315 to the MA program fee schedule for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine counseling only visits. Find additional information in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.
  • Materials from the May 24 meeting of the Consumer Subcommittee of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee viewed here.
  • Materials from the May 25 meeting of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee meeting may be viewed here. 

Independent Fiscal Office 

The Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released its initial revenue estimate for FY 2023-2024. The IFO estimates General Fund revenues of $45.292 billion for FY 2023-2024, which is a 1.3 percent increase over the current fiscal year. Find the report and corresponding presentation here.  

Independent Regulatory Review Commission 

The Independent Regulatory Review Commission posted the following final regulations for public comment.

Stakeholder Events

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.