CMS has published the negotiated maximum fair prices (MFP) for the first drugs selected for negotiation for 2026. CMS reached agreement for new, lower prices for all 10 drugs selected for negotiations, which will be effective on January 1, 2026.

The following materials are available to support outreach:

• An updated IPAY 2026 fact sheet (email version below, also posted to the newsroom and published as a PDF)
• A plain language infographic about the program and the 10 price discounts
• A social media toolkit that can used to amplify this announcement: https://www.cms.gov/files/zip/social-media-toolkit-negotiated-prices.zip

We are excited to announce that as outcome of the thorough strategic planning process that we engaged in over the past several months, we have a new 5-year strategic plan and we will be refreshing our brand as the Pennsylvania Nursing Workforce Coalition (PA-NWC)!

A few notes about this change:

• We are calling this a “brand refresh” and not a “rebrand” because we want to be clear that the components of our structure are not changing. This includes the PA-NWC’s functioning as a program of the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC), and our Advisory Board structure as a coalition with organizations as members and individual representatives.
• We look forward to strengthening our position as Pennsylvania’s Nursing Workforce Center. The PA-AC has “housed” Pennsylvania’s Nursing Workforce Center since 2016 when we became a part of the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers. The “brand refresh” is just making this work more front and center.
• The PA-NWC will continue its strong relationship with the Future of Nursing reports and the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action. Our feedback expressed that one of our core strengths was our anchor in the national framework of the Future of Nursing’s goals and that our participants continue to feel connected to and inspired by its principles. Many other nursing workforce centers across the country are simultaneously their state’s Action Coalition and workforce center.

Learn more about our new strategic plan and the process that we followed at the link below! Stay tuned for additional materials and communications as well. We are excited to work with you in our new chapter as the PA-NWC

The Individual and Small Group Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Proposed Rates for 2025 are available on the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s (PID) Website. On average, the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange (Pennie) insurers on the individual market requested a 7.9 % premium increase based on rising drug costs, increased labor costs in the healthcare industry, and the utilization of medical services. Of the current nine insurers, Ambetter, Capital Blue Cross, CIGNA, Geisinger, Highmark, Independence Blue Cross, Jefferson Health Plans, Oscar, and UPMC, three are requesting to expand into additional counties. These insurers are Geisinger, Jefferson Health Plans and Ambetter. A public comment period on these rate requests and filings will be accepted through Sep. 2 and can be emailed to ra-in-comment@pa.gov. Open Enrollment for Pennie is November 1,2024 through January 15, 2025.

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen visited the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Center for Addiction Recovery today to announce that the Shapiro Administration will distribute 50,000 xylazine wound care kits to provide care and relief for people with xylazine-associated wounds. “Xylazine’s emergence in Pennsylvania’s illicit drug supply is a major public health concern,” said Secretary Bogen. “Because the wounds caused by xylazine are more complicated and severe than those traditionally seen in people who use other drugs, there is a need for quick action, new medical protocols, and access to appropriate self-care wound supplies.”

Pennsylvania faces significant challenges related to substance use, some of which relate to the policies governing the services available. Overdose deaths continue to rise nationally, and the public health challenges are constantly evolving. The 2024 Salk Health Activist Fellowship will provide a focus for emerging health activists on effective policy change tactics to address the current substance use challenges in Pennsylvania. During the in-person program this fall in Pittsburgh, fellows will gain insight into the existing U.S. and Pennsylvania substance use policies, learn how to effectively lay out a case for change, explore strategic approaches to policy change, and gain tools for coalition building and maximizing media coverage. Fellows will also explore what substance use costs Pennsylvanians and consider how best to improve health outcomes through evidence-based policies and interventions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update to provide additional information about the outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); the first Health Advisory about this outbreak was released in Dec. 2023. Since Jan. 2023, the DRC has reported the largest number of yearly suspected clade I mpox cases on record. While clade I MPXV is endemic, or naturally occurring, in DRC, the current outbreak is more widespread than any previous DRC outbreak and has resulted in clade I mpox transmission to some neighboring countries. Clade I MPXV has previously been observed to be more transmissible and to cause a higher proportion of severe infections than clade II MPXV. The ongoing global mpox outbreak that began in 2022 is caused by clade II MPXV, and cases continue to be reported worldwide. No cases of clade I mpox have been reported outside central and eastern Africa at this time. Because there is a risk of additional spread, CDC recommends clinicians and jurisdictions in the United States maintain a heightened index of suspicion for mpox in patients who have recently been in DRC or to any country sharing a border with DRC (ROC, Angola, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic) and present with signs and symptoms consistent with mpox. These can include: rash that may be located on the hands, feet, chest, face, mouth, or near the genitals; fever; chills; swollen lymph nodes; fatigue; myalgia (muscle aches and backache); headache; and respiratory symptoms like sore throat, nasal congestion, and cough.

In accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) rebranding and the Governor’s Office Customer Service Transformation Initiative, the Office of Medical Assistance Programs will be implementing changes to the old URLs to reach PROMISe hosted applications and websites. The old URLs, using a domain naming convention of dpw.state.pa.us, will be changing to dhs.pa.gov in phased implementations beginning August 7, 2024, and wrapping up in October 2024. Please review the attached pdf containing the impacted production environment URLs.