Beginning Jan 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act began protecting consumers from unexpected out-of-network medical bills from emergency room visits, non-emergencies related to a visit to an in-network hospital and air ambulance services. If consumers don’t have health insurance, usually providers must give a good faith estimate of how much health care would cost. To help patients, encourage them to check their medical bills for errors, read explanations of benefits, apply for any medical bill financial assistance, and be sure to contact individual health plans and providers for appeals.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on June 12, 2023, new flexibilities to minimize the number of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program beneficiaries disenrolled during eligibility redeterminations. New flexibilities include allowing health plans to help Medicaid members complete renewal forms, allowing states to delay procedural terminations for one month to allow additional outreach, and allowing pharmacies and community-based organizations to facilitate reinstatement of coverage based on presumptive eligibility criteria. The flexibilities are noted in an HHS announcement and in a letter to state governors. Read more.

Devon Trolley, Pennie’s new executive director, presented enrollment numbers, 2024 key priorities and initiatives moving forward through the Medicaid unwinding process, and the coming 2024 open enrollment period during PACHC’s Spring Advocacy Forum this week. As of May 30, more than 33,000 applications for coverage have been transferred to Pennie from Medicaid. “Unwind” customers are those that have used the “Loss of Medical Assistance (MA)” special enrollment period qualifying life event. To streamline the customer experience and enrollment process, a customer could automatically have their eligibility assessed based on their MA information. The conversion rate of those moving from Medicaid and enrolling in Pennie over the past three months is 10%. These numbers will fluctuate over time due to customers’ ability to access retro enrollment through Medicaid and a Pennie 120-day Special Enrollment Period.

The Pennsylvania House Labor and Industry Committee voted 12-9 along party lines to approve legislation that would increase the Commonwealth’s minimum wage incrementally through 2026. the House and Senate bills would raise the current minimum wage of $7.25 to $11 per hour beginning on Jan. 1, 2024 and to $13 per hour on Jan. 1, 2025. The following year (Jan. 1, 2026), the wage would rise again to $15 and increase by an annual cost-of-living adjustment using the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Click here to learn more.

 The High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety provides training scripts and videos – in both Spanish and English – to protect workers’ health in the summer months.

  The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute shows county-level coverage for children and non-elderly adults in each state and the District of Columbia.

Press releases, social media posts, yard signs, and fliers are available to get the word out about the USDA Summer Food Service Program for children and teens.  Supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the nonprofit No Kid Hungry also provides an interactive map of county-level data showing under-resourced areas with children in need.  *New in 2023: guidance for implementing summer meals in rural areas.