The FORHP-supported Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) makes ongoing updates to its resource page for state-level RHTP information, including a list of state websites, project summaries, budget narratives, and opportunities. 

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed three executive orders to strengthen the rights and protections of Pennsylvanians with disabilities and autism. Effective immediately, the three executive orders will reaffirm the Commonwealth’s disability nondiscrimination policy, establish new data privacy protections, reauthorizes the Developmental Disabilities (DD) Council, and create a new Governor’s advisory commission focused solely on people with disabilities.

Click here to learn more.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday joined 44 other attorneys general around the country to advocate for a proposed federal rule that would require transparency from Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) around where they receive revenue.

PBMs are middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry that have faced scrutiny from lawmakers, regulators and critics for their alleged role in driving up drug costs. Initially, they were created to help insurance providers process prescription drug claims, and still fill that role. But they’ve also grown in the last several decades. They create what are known as formularies — the list of drugs that are covered by a plan — and negotiate rebates and reimbursements with drug manufacturers.

The Washington Post’s Editorial Board recently published a piece about 340B, entitled “How corporate welfare for hospitals is raising health care costs.” The piece mentions only hospitals; it makes no mention of CHCs or any other grantees. Nonetheless, it is certain to have negative spill-over effects on the program more broadly. In its piece, the Editorial Board:

• Calls 340B “corporate welfare” and a “special break” for hospitals.
• States that 340B raises total healthcare costs, including for government programs.
• Includes charts showing dramatic growth in 340B purchases and contract pharmacy arrangements.
• States that 340B creates “distortionary effects” such as leading providers to order more expensive drugs and fueling consolidation within the industry.

The article concludes that:

• “Instead of serving as a safety net for hospitals in vulnerable communities, the program has become a profit-making venture for big businesses.”
• Hospitals “have become addicted to these taxpayer-subsidized profit streams.”
• “Once a business gets accustomed to handouts, it becomes extremely difficult to take them away. But it’s a fight worth having.”

Click here to learn more.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Medicaid and CHIP Policy Implementation Roadmap to help states plan for policy changes that may require updates to state Medicaid Enterprise Systems.