- CMS: Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction Model
- CMS: Secretarial Comments on the CBE's (Battelle Memorial Institute) 2024 Activities: Report to Congress and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services
- HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- HRSA Announces Action to Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs for Life-Saving Medications at Health Centers Nationwide
- Public Inspection: HHS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Marketplace Integrity and Affordability
- Increased Risk of Cyber Threats Against Healthcare and Public Health Sector
- Eight Hospitals Selected for First Cohort of Rural Hospital Stabilization Program
- Announcing the 2030 Census Disclosure Avoidance Research Program
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
Research: Rural Pennsylvania Suicide Rates Are Rising
According to a study funded by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, between 1999 and 2018, suicide rates across the state significantly increased. In 2018, the researchers said, the suicide rate in rural areas of the state was 25% higher than in urban areas.
While the study of suicides showed that the rate is higher in rural areas, those numbers may be even higher still, researchers said.
While the study didn’t specifically address the causes of the discrepancy in suicide rates in urban and rural areas, it did look at some of the indicators of higher suicide rates.
Higher numbers of handgun sales per 1,000 residents, lower levels of education, lower incomes, larger populations over age 65, and higher levels of unemployment all correlate with higher county suicide rates, the study found.
“In terms of our particular report, we are not able to deduce exactly why those rates have been increasing,” said Dr. Daniel Mallinson, one of the study’s authors. “But others whose work has looked at that…they’ve been able to gather some quantitative evidence on that. For instance, there’s been a rise of deaths of despair, particularly in rural areas in the US, and not just in suicides but also in overdoses and alcohol-related deaths.”
The researchers connected these deaths of despair to the loss of quality of life and less economic opportunities, which have had “substantial impacts on people’s lives directly and on people’s resources but it also has damaged or undermined communities and families.”
Beyond the quality of life issues, according to the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, rural areas also tend to be at higher risk due to limits in the “accessibility, availability, and acceptability of mental health care services.”
Rural counties tend to have smaller ratios of mental health providers per capita. For instance, in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, there are only 16 mental health providers per every 100,000 people, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Compare that to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with 333 mental health providers per 100,000. And 23 of the 24 Health Professional Shortage Areas in Pennsylvania, identified by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration as areas that have a shortage of healthcare professionals, are rural areas of the state.
NIOSH COVID-19 Update
As part of NIOSH’s efforts to keep our stakeholders up to date on the CDC and NIOSH COVID-19 response, here is a summary of new information available
- Making Masks for the Workplace
New information from NIOSH is available for manufacturers to produce Workplace Performance and Workplace Performance Plus masks. This new NIOSH criteria for workplace masks also meets the standard in the ASTM International Specification for Barrier Face Coverings, F3502-21. - Types of Masks
CDC recently updated its Types of Masks webpage to include information that identifies masks that meet a standard, including the ASTM Standard. - Vaccinating Migrant/Migratory and Seasonal Food and Agriculture Workers
CDC published a new webpage to help jurisdictions ensure that migrant and migratory seasonal food and agricultural workers are vaccinated. The webpage addresses the unique challenges and best practices for providing vaccines to these workers.
FCC Seeks Membership on Connectivity Task Force
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announces the intent to re-charter the Task Force for Reviewing Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States, a federal advisory committee, aimed at delivering connectivity on unserved agriculture land.
The Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States (Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force or Task Force) will provide advice and recommendations for the FCC on how to assess and advance deployment of broadband Internet access service on unserved agriculture land to promote precision agriculture. Congress directed the FCC, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, to establish the Precision Ag Connectivity Task Force in the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill).
Center for Rural Pennsylvania Launches 2021 Rural Policy Summit Series on July 22
“The plan for the Rural Policy Summit is to bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, nonprofit leaders, academic researchers, industry professionals, and others interested in rural, to learn about and discuss major policy issues that will affect rural Pennsylvania over the next 5 to 10 years,” Center Director Dr. Kyle C. Kopko said. “As we all know, there are many challenges and opportunities facing rural Pennsylvania. This summit will explore policy issues in an interdisciplinary way so that community leaders are better equipped to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s nearly 3.4 million rural residents.”
The five topic areas for the summit are education, health care, local services, economic development, and agriculture.
The July 22 session will begin at 9 a.m. and will provide a broad demographic overview of rural Pennsylvania, which will help set the stage for each monthly session that will begin in September and wrap up in January 2022.
The series is being co-hosted by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, the Pennsylvania Rural Development Council, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, and the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank’s Community Development and Regional Outreach Department.
The Rural Policy Summit will be held via Zoom webinar. Please register in advance at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uIKYtfwURuyDYIKjLT45pA.
Struggling Accessing Oral Health? Share Your Story!
The PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) is collecting stories from all 67 counties around dental issues in our state. We know that many people struggle to find dental care as a basic healthcare need, and we would like to help lend a voice to the changes needed in our system. Only 1 in 4 general dentists in PA accept Medicaid, and many of these are not accepting new patients, or their location requires people to travel for hours to get care. Your story can help us let decision-makers know that change is needed to protect the smiles of all Pennsylvanians. We will share these stories with the Governor’s office, legislators, and the Departments of Health and Human Services to push for changes to the current system.
Please visit the survey link here to submit a story.
USDA Announces the Top Five Housing Guaranteed Lenders in Pennsylvania
Lenders helped 4,962 Rural Families Achieve Homeownership
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced the top five guaranteed housing program lenders for 2020 in Pennsylvania. In total, 4,962 rural families and individuals achieved homeownership through the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program.
The top lenders in Pennsylvania are listed below. The amount of rural families and/or individuals they assisted is in parentheses:
- Residential Mortgage Services (319)
- Jersey Shore State Bank (226)
- Cross Country Mortgage (212)
- Union Home Mortgage (187)
- Plaza Home Mortgage (180)
Acting State Director for Rural Development in Pennsylvania Jeremy Wilson said, “At USDA, we believe that our lending partners open the door to homeownership to rural Americans, help strengthen communities, provide stability for families, and an opportunity for them to build generational wealth.”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of USDA’s Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan program. The program has helped 4.8 million people achieve the dream of homeownership.
“We could not have accomplished this without these partnerships,” Wilson said.
New Publication: Oral Health in Patients Experiencing Homelessness
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) developed a publication to bring awareness to the intersection of oral health and behavioral health concerns or cognitive impairment in people experiencing homelessness (PEH). The publication shares the impacts of behavioral health illness on oral health and how behavioral health and dental providers can work together to address this intersection in their practices.
New Report: Connection Between Oral Health and Mental Health
A new CareQuest Institute survey found that poor mental health status may be linked to dental fear and delayed dental care. In January and February 2021, CareQuest conducted a nationally representative survey to examine attitudes, experiences, and behaviors related to oral health. Respondents self-rated their mental health and oral health status and answered questions about oral healthcare utilization. Findings from this study showed consistent oral health disparities among those with self-identified poor mental health.
Final Research Plan: Oral Health in Youth and Adults
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) posted the final research plan on screening, referral, behavioral counseling, and preventive interventions for oral health. The draft Research Plan was posted on the USPSTF website for public comment in March 2021 and revisions were made.
American Rescue Plan Lowers Health Insurance Costs for Americans Who May Have Lost Their Job
Today, as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) signed by President Biden, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing that it is again lowering the cost of health insurance and opening more pathways for Americans to obtain affordable and comprehensive health coverage. Starting July 1, 2021, consumers who received or are approved to receive unemployment compensation for any week beginning in 2021 may be able to find even lower cost plans and save extra money on out-of-pocket expenses through HealthCare.gov.
To take advantage of these additional savings, consumers who received or have been approved for unemployment compensation in 2021 need to visit HealthCare.gov to submit a new application or update their existing application to maximize the savings they can get for the rest of 2021. An average of three out of five eligible uninsured Americans can access $0 plans after advance payments of tax credits and an average of four out of five current HealthCare.gov consumers will be able to find a plan for $10 or less per month after advance payments of tax credits. CMS encourages current consumers who have received unemployment income for any week beginning in 2021 to update their application and enrollment between July 1 and August 15 to maximize the savings on their Marketplace coverage for the rest of the year.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is focused on providing relief to millions of families who need to access health insurance coverage because they have been impacted by job losses or underemployment during the pandemic,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The Administration has made it easier than ever for Americans to enroll in an affordable, comprehensive health insurance plans through HealthCare.gov thanks to the increased financial assistance provided through the American Rescue Plan. We encourage consumers who have received unemployment compensation in 2021 to visit the Marketplace to see if they qualify to save money on their health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs.”
“We are doing everything we can to remove financial barriers to comprehensive health care,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “The American Rescue Plan provides consumers with additional savings and will make coverage even more attainable for those most in need. We welcome people who received unemployment benefits in 2021 to check out their health coverage options on HealthCare.gov on July 1.”
To read the HHS press release, visit: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/06/29/american-rescue-plan-lowers-health-insurance-costs-americans-who-may-have-lost-their-job.html.