The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania for the week of June 7-11, 2021.  (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)

Governor Wolf

The Wolf administration has outlined guidelines for unvaccinated children under the age of 12 and for their families to stay safe from COVID-19.  Those recommendations include parents of young children getting vaccinated themselves; children between the ages of two and 12 wearing masks in public settings, at events and gatherings, and any time they are indoors and around people from outside their own household; engaging in social distancing; and engaging in low-risk endeavors such as outdoor activities and small gatherings.  Learn more from this Wolf administration news release.

The Wolf administration and the United Way of Pennsylvania have launched the Local Innovations in Vaccine Equity in Pennsylvania project (LIVE PA) to administer $4 million in mini-grants to local organizations seeking to reduce vaccine hesitancy and ensure equitable vaccine distribution throughout the state.  LIVE PA is a collaboration between the Wolf administration’s Office of Advocacy and Reform and the departments of Health and Human Services, working with the United Way of Pennsylvania, to fund local, grassroots non-profit organizations to partner with certified vaccine providers to help the populations they serve overcome barriers to vaccination.  The pilot phase of LIVE PA will target the zip codes and census tracts with the highest levels of health disparities, poverty, and vaccine inequity in Pennsylvania.  Learn more from this Wolf administration news release.

Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 Disaster Declaration

The General Assembly invoked its new constitutional power on Thursday and voted to terminate the governor’s COVID-19 disaster declaration.  House Resolution 106, which passed by a mostly party-line vote in both chambers, ends Governor Wolf’s recently renewed COVID-19 disaster declaration effective immediately.  House Resolution 106 does not have to be signed by the governor.

The General Assembly also approved House Bill 854 to sustain all of the waivers and regulatory flexibilities that were still in effect under the declaration.  Governor Wolf signed this bill on Friday.  House Bill 854 extends the waivers and flexibilities until September 30, 2021 but agencies and authorities have the discretion to terminate their respective waivers earlier.  If they choose to do so they must notify General Assembly leadership and the standing committees that have oversight authority.  Some agencies have already begun terminating certain waivers.  DHS published a Medical Assistance Bulletin in late April announcing its intention to reinstate prior authorization requirements that were in place pre-pandemic beginning on July 1.

Legislative Update

The following are health care bills that received third and final consideration in the state House and/or Senate during the week of June 7.  We are tracking other health care bills as they move through the legislative process as well.

• House Bill 854, which was amended to extend all of the waivers and regulatory flexibilities tied to the COVID-19 disaster declaration until September 30, 2021, as described above, also requires executive agencies to preserve all records relating to the orders of a declaration of disaster emergency issued by the governor relating to COVID-19.  Governor Wolf signed the bill on Friday, June 11.
• House Bill 118 requires a health care facility that possesses fetal remains to provide for the final disposition of those remains to be buried, in accordance with Pennsylvania Code, or cremated. The House passed the bill 118-83 and sent it to the Senate for consideration.
• House Bill 253 establishes a task force to examine the opioid epidemic’s impact on infants and children.  The House unanimously passed the bill on Monday and sent it to the Senate for consideration.
• House Bill 1012 provides for a $130 per diem payment for ventilator or tracheostomy care provided by qualified skilled nursing facilities that meet certain criteria based on the volume and proportion of Medicaid patients to whom they provide these services.  The House unanimously passed the bill on Tuesday and sent it the Senate for consideration.
• House Bill 1024 makes numerous revisions to the state’s Medical Marijuana Act, including caregiver, dispensing, and criminal background check provisions.  The House passed the bill 164-38 on Monday and sent it to the Senate for consideration.
• House Bill 1033 permits health care practitioners to order diagnostic tests and prescribe, administer, or dispense antibiotic therapy for the duration the health care practitioner determines appropriate for patients with a clinical diagnosis of Lyme disease or a related tick-borne illness.  The bill also imposes certain insurance coverage requirements.  The House passed the bill 136-66 on Monday and sent it to the Senate for consideration.
• House Bill 1500 prohibits an abortion if it is sought solely due to the sex of the fetus or if the fetus receives a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.  The House passed the bill 120-83 on Wednesday and sent it to the Senate for consideration.
• Senate Bill 618 prohibits the state, as well as counties, municipalities, school districts, and colleges that are subsidized with state funds, from requiring proof of vaccination or vaccine passports.  The bill also prohibits the Secretary of the Department of Health from requiring face masks, travel restrictions, social distancing, sheltering in place, and closures of privately owned businesses and also prohibits institutions of higher education that receive state subsidies from requiring their students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated.  Following final passage in the Senate the bill was sent to the House and referred to its Health Committee.  It is scheduled to be considered “off the floor” on June 14.

Department of Health

The Department of Health has issued an update on its work to permit temporary nurse aides to become permanent nurse aides following the end of the public health emergency.  The department has stopped accepting and processing temporary nurse aide applications while it reviews federal guidance on the training required to secure permanent status.

COVID-19:  By the Numbers

• The daily number of new COVID-19 cases continues to decline and has been in three digits for 14 days in a row.  With 297 new COVID-19 cases reported, Monday marked the lowest new daily case count since March 25, 2020, when 276 new cases were announced.
• The number of COVID-19 deaths is now declining significantly.
• For the week from May 28 through June 4 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate was 2.9 percent, down from 3.8 percent last week and 4.5 percent the week before.
• Fifty-five counties had a positivity rate lower than five percent, up from 28 last week, and no counties had a positivity rate greater than 20 percent for the sixth consecutive week.
• Thirteen counties are currently experiencing low levels of community transmission of COVID-19, up from ten last week; 53 counties are experiencing moderate levels of community transmission; and only one county (McKean) is currently experiencing a substantial level of community transmission, the same number as last week.
• In just 11 days since June 1, the number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19 has fallen 40 percent; the number on a ventilator has fallen 27 percent; and the number in hospital intensive care units has fallen 32 percent.
• Five 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 two weeks. Another 656,000 have been vaccinated in Philadelphia.  According to the state, 56.6 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 years of age and older are now fully vaccinated and 60.1 percent of the entire population has now received at least the first dose of a vaccine.

Department of Human Services

DHS has released the latest issue of its Positive Approaches Journal, which aims to provide the most recent research and resources to help people with mental health and behavioral challenges, intellectual disabilities, autism, and other developmental disabilities to live an everyday life.  Go here for information about the latest edition and a link to the publication itself.

Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs announced that Pennsylvania is one of four new states partnering with Shatterproof, a national non-profit organization dedicated to ending addiction, to develop and implement the Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment, and Standards Platform (ATLAS).  During a 12-month implementation period the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs will work with Shatterproof to customize and align ATLAS with ongoing initiatives in Pennsylvania.  This project is part of the department’s 2020-2022 strategic plan goal to strengthen treatment systems by ensuring that care is delivered using evidence-based best practices.  See the announcement and learn more about the expected program here.

Around the State

• While the outdoor mask mandate is now history, some Philadelphians are having trouble letting go.  WHYY shares their story.
• They will have more changes to get used to as well:  as of Friday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, Philadelphia’s mask mandates have been lifted.
• Faced with declining numbers of residents willing to get COVID-19 vaccines, Philadelphia is joining the big money incentives movement, planning three drawings that will give away two top prizes of $50,000 and other four-figure sums as well, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Lycoming County’s plan to develop a county health care center to provide preventive services to county employees took its latest step when the county awarded a contract for design and engineering services for the planned facility.  The Williamsport Sun-Gazette offers the details.
• Monongahela Valley Hospital will become part of Penn Highlands Healthcare later this year, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Erie County is taking its COVID-19 vaccination program on the road with a mobile clinic that will visit events, celebrations, workplaces, and more.  GoErie explains how and why.
• The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded Pennsylvania $36 million to address health disparities in rural and minority communities.  PennLive has the story.
• After two years on the market, Valley Forge Medical Center, an 88-bed addiction treatment center in Montgomery County, has been sold to Avenues Recovery Center, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
• With 83 percent of its residents ages 12 and older at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 and 92 percent of those 18 and older at least partially vaccinated, Chester County is easing some of its mask requirements, according to the Daily Local News.

Stakeholder Events

Medical Assistance Advisory Committee’s Consumer Subcommittee Meeting

June 23 at 1:00 p.m.

Register here

Medical Assistance Advisory Committee Meeting

June 24 at 10:00 a.m.

Register here

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

Stakeholder Events Documents

The Medical Assistance Advisory Committee met on May 27, 2021.  The following documents from that meeting are now available:

• Minutes of the meeting
• A presentation from the Office of Developmental Programs
• A presentation from the Office of Long-Term Living
• A presentation from the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services