Open Enrollment for Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace, Pennie, begins in just a few days on Nov. 1. All insurers currently offering individual marketplace coverage in Pennsylvania’s 67 counties will continue to provide plans in 2024 with a statewide average increase of 3.9%, which is lower than what insurers initially filed. For 2024 health plans, Highmark is expanding into five new counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties) and Geisinger will expand its individual and small group offerings into Bedford County, increasing choice for consumers. In addition, consumers in Bucks, Philadelphia, and Montgomery counties will see one more health insurer offering coverage in the individual market as Pennsylvania welcomes another new entrant, Jefferson Health Plans, to the southeastern market. Consumers enrolling by December 15 can get coverage starting January 1, 2024, although Open Enrollment does not end until January 19, 2024

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dr. Karama Neal, Administrator, Rural Business Cooperative Service, announced that USDA is awarding an additional $3.6 million in grants to help 30 agricultural producers and rural small business owners make energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy investments to lower energy costs, generate new income, and strengthen the resiliency of their operations in rural Pennsylvania.

“Through the Inflation Reduction Act, President Biden and USDA are expanding access to clean energy, creating jobs and spurring economic growth for producers and small business owners in Pennsylvania, while saving people money on their energy costs,” said Dr. Karama Neal, Administrator, Rural Business Cooperative Service, USDA. “This is just another way USDA is committed to building our economy from the middle out and bottom up.”

In Fiscal Year 2023 more than $21.8 million in Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funds were distributed to 168 energy efficiency improvement projects in rural Pennsylvania. The most recent announcement was made in September 2023.

The announcement today was made at Performance Motors a retail automotive business in Berks County that has been in operation since 1970. The dealership will use a $226,000 grant to purchase and install a 236 kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic system. The project annually is expected to save the business approximately $28,600 and replace 128,159 kilowatt hours (kWh), enough energy to power 26 homes.

You can read the full news release on our website. 

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh visited Project HOME to discuss a recent change in Medicaid that allows certain enrolled medical providers, including FQHCs, to meet with unhoused patients covered through Medicaid and provide care outside a clinical setting– a practice known as street medicine. DHS announced the initial Medicaid expansion in July 2023 and is now furthering the reach of street medicine programs by adding more providers eligible to render street medicine services through Medicaid. By allowing more specialties and providers to bill for services rendered during visits with people experiencing homelessness, DHS aims to increase access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries and improve health outcomes. Click here to read MA Bulletin 01-23-26.

The House Education Committee recently considered HB 1478 to allow Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioners (PHDHPs) to perform the mandated dental screenings in schools. The Pennsylvania Coalition on Oral Health (PCOH) and the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists’ Association presented testimony to the committee. In addition, the House Health Committee considered HB 1417 to restore the comprehensive adult dental benefits to Medicaid, and HB 1585 to codify teledentistry. The three bills all passed through the committee this week, with amendments. In addition, the current fiscal code language in HB 1300 would add $24 million in state funds that managed care organizations (MCOs) must use to increase rates paid for dental services. The legislation also requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to seek a federal match of the funds. HB 1300 is currently in consideration in the Senate.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking public comment on its interactive map that allows users to visualize broadband and health data at the national, state, and county levels.  A special focus on maternal health was added earlier this year with the Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act, directing the FCC to incorporate publicly available data on maternal mortality. The Commission hopes to get feedback from the public on ways to further expand, refine, and enhance the platform.  Read more details in FCC’s Notice of Inquiry and find comment procedures on page 18.  The FCC provides a recording of its hour-long webinar to explain the map platform that took place on September 27.  University of Minnesota research from 2019 found that, when controlling for sociodemographic factors and clinical conditions, “rural residents had a 9 percent greater probability of severe maternal morbidity and mortality, compared with urban residents.”

Comments are due on November 20.

 The Rural Health Information Hub updated this guide with background information on rural-focused philanthropies, identifying actions and characteristics that may make a program successful.

When the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services met in Bend, Oregon earlier this year, their focus was the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) in rural areas.  MIECHV was established in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act and is administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau here at HRSA, in partnership with other agencies within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).  The committee made eight rural-specific recommendations to HHS, including an effort to distinguish between rural and urban outcomes, and to ease data and administrative burdens that come with federal funding.

The update is part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. The handbook includes 300+ profiles covering over 500 occupations.  The new CHW profile reflects the core CHW duties, competencies, and training and employment sites. While the profile focuses on CHWs, it also mentions other professions such as peer support specialists, community health representatives, and promotores de salud for the first time.

On October 10, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency joined with the Department of Health & Human Services to announce an extension telemedicine flexibilities put in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency.  Now through December 31, 2024, authorized providers (see Updates to Requirements for Buprenorphine Prescribing below) can prescribe controlled substances to new and existing patients based on a telephone evaluation, or through other means of telemedicine.

As part of their ongoing work supported by FORHP’s Policy Research Division, the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program is tracking conversions to Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs),  a new type of healthcare provider.  Created by Congress in response to the growing number of rural hospital closures, the REH is meant to maintain emergency service and outpatient care in rural communities.  The REH provider type is a designation that comes with a new payment system under Medicare. Based on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 14 hospitals have converted to be REHs as of October 17, 2023.  The Hospital State Division at FORHP funds a technical assistance center to provide support to hospitals considering conversion to an REH.  Subject matter experts at the center provide no-cost technical assistance for hospitals considering a conversion, helping hospital leadership teams assess the pros and cons of making the change from traditional services.