Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller reminded Pennsylvanians that safety-net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid are available to individuals and families who are struggling to afford food or access health care.

“So many people are coping with the stress and anxiety of these challenging times by simply putting one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. I want to remind Pennsylvanians that they are not alone. There is help available, and it always OK to reach out for help when you need it,” Sec. Miller said. “I encourage Pennsylvanians who are struggling to apply for these programs online at www.compass.state.pa.us. You do not need to know your own eligibility in order to apply. We’ll take care of that part.”

Enrollment statewide for Medicaid has increased by 244,603 people since February, for a total enrollment of 3,076,166 in September – an 8.6 percent increase. Secretary Miller also reported that because Governor Wolf expanded Medicaid eligibility in 2015 through the Affordable Care Act approximately 160,000 Pennsylvanians are getting through this pandemic with their access to health care intact.

Around this time last year, about 680,000 Pennsylvanians had health care coverage because of Medicaid expansion. That number is now up to more than 840,000 as of the end of September. If the Affordable Care Act is repealed or struck down, Medicaid expansion would be among the expanded health care options and critical consumer protections that would no longer exist.

“Medicaid expansion has provided a lifeline when people need it most. If you aren’t healthy and taking care of medical needs, you can’t think about getting a job or moving forward. And yet, the Affordable Care Act is under attack,” Sec. Miller said. “If we lose the Affordable Care Act, the nearly 1.3 million people in Pennsylvania who have health insurance because of the ACA could lose that coverage. But the ripple effect will not stop there. Consumer protections like coverage on a parent’s policy up to age 26, no lifetime limits, essential health benefits, and coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions will end – leaving millions of people vulnerable.”

DHS has found that more than half of Pennsylvania’s Medicaid expansion population is working a job that does not offer health benefits. In fact, a new report reveals that workers with incomes of less than $30,000 a year are offered employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) less than 30 percent of the time.

When people leave Medicaid coverage, many are doing so because their income is increasing. Research suggests that Medicaid expansion has had a positive effect on keeping workers employed and helping the unemployed get a new job.

Enrollment for SNAP statewide has increased by 129,155 people since February, for a total enrollment of about 1,866,614 in September — a 7.4 percent increase.

SNAP helps nearly 1.9 million Pennsylvanians expand purchasing power by providing money each month to spend on groceries, helping households have resources to purchase enough food to avoid going hungry. Inadequate food and chronic nutrient deficiencies have profound effects on a person’s life and health, including increased risks for chronic diseases, higher chances of hospitalization, poorer overall health, and increased health care costs. As the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic, access to essential needs like food is more important than ever to help keep vulnerable populations healthy and mitigate co-occurring health risks.

Applications for SNAP and other public assistance programs can be submitted online at www.compass.state.pa.us. Those who prefer to submit paper documentation can print from the website or request an application by phone at 1-800-692-7462 and mail it to their local County Assistance Office (CAO) or place it in a CAO’s secure drop box, if available. While CAOs remain closed, work processing applications, determining eligibility, and issuing benefits continues. Clients should use COMPASS or the MyCOMPASS PA mobile app to submit necessary updates to their case files while CAOs are closed.

For more information about food assistance resources for people around Pennsylvania impacted by COVID-19 and the accompanying economic insecurity, visit the Department of Agriculture’s food security guide.

At Lerew’s Orchard in York Springs, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and his wife, Nina, joined a volunteer gleaning operation through Project SHARE of Carlisle.

Gleaning is a centuries-old concept where growers would leave excess food in their fields for the poor to pick up to feed their families for free for the labor of harvesting the produce. In today’s times, groups like Project SHARE organize volunteer opportunities to collect excess, unsaleable, but still perfectly good field crops, market leftovers, and the last planting that farmers do not pick or cannot sell. Whether it’s tomatoes or corn on the cob – or in today’s case, Granny Smith apples – the produce is donated to the charitable food system to be enjoyed by those who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity.

“If there’s anything worse than fresh food and hard work rotting away in farmers fields, it’s the fact there are more than two million Pennsylvanians facing hunger every day,” said Redding. “Today, Nina and I were humbled to spend time harvesting apples that will go directly to local families in need.

“You’ve probably heard me say it before, but you can’t have a charitable food system without a food system that’s charitable. Farmers like the Lerews are making a difference every day,” added Redding. “And every Pennsylvanian has a variety of opportunities to make a difference, too.”

So far this year, Project SHARE has gleaned more than 134,000 pounds of local food from farmers. Previous years have averaged around 90,000 pounds, making 2020 a record year for Project SHARE. All of the produce is free for the work of the labor to harvest. The donated produce is available at the Project SHARE farm stand in downtown Carlisle. Along with the gleaned produce, the farm stand distributes additional perishable products and bread. The farm stand serves as a substitute to regular food distributions of Project SHARE, so community members have access to fresh, nutritious food as needed.

Pennsylvanians interested in volunteering to support their community and Pennsylvania’s charitable food system have a variety of options:

• Volunteer your time or donate food or financial resources to a local food bank or local food pantry.
• Contact your local school district to learn about opportunities to assist with school food pantries or support out-of-school time feeding programs.
• Donate a harvested deer through Hunters Sharing the Harvest.

Pennsylvanians in need of assistance are encouraged to start with PA 211 by either searching their online resource database or texting their ZIP code to 898-211 to communicate with a live specialist. Pennsylvanians negatively affected by COVID-19 are eligible to receive state and federally sourced foods from Pennsylvania’s food banks and pantries.

For more information about food security and resources for Pennsylvanians in need, visit agriculture.pa.gov/foodsecurity.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that starting today consumers can preview 2021 healthcare plans and prices on HealthCare.gov. This is an opportunity for consumers to compare coverage options ahead of Open Enrollment for the Federal Health Insurance Exchange, which officially kicks-off on November 1. As in previous years, window shopping allows consumers and those assisting consumers, such as licensed brokers and Navigators, to browse plans without logging in, creating an account, or filling out the official application.

As we get ready for Open Enrollment, CMS has updated and improved the HealthCare.gov experience by incorporating integrated help and enhanced resources. These updates provide content that guides consumers and enables enrollees to easily access and understand information they may need to make informed choices about coverage. HealthCare.gov also added a new planning resource for consumers to estimate their yearly income. CMS will continue to enhance the application, enrollment, and educational support based on consumer feedback.

Starting November 1, consumers can log in to HealthCare.gov and CuidadodeSalud.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 to fill out an application and enroll in a 2021 Exchange health plan. The Federal Health Insurance Exchange 2021 Open Enrollment Period is November 1, 2020 to December 15, 2020, with coverage beginning on January 1, 2021.

• To view the press release, visit: Press Release
• To view the 2021 Fact Sheet for more information, visit: Fact Sheet
• To view the 2021 Plan Landscape Data, visit: Plan Landscape Data
• To view the 2021 Health Insurance Exchange Premium Landscape Issue Brief, visit:   Issue Brief
• To see the 2021 Health Insurance Exchange Public Use Files, visit: Health Insurance Exchange Public Use Files
• To see the Plan Year 2021 Quality Rating System Public Use Files, visit:  Quality Rating System Public Use Files

The strong economic growth that followed the Great Recession did little to erase the persistent shortfall of affordable rental housing in the Third District. Even after this expansion, a substantial majority of lower-income households in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey struggled to afford their rent in 2018, with almost one-third to nearly half of these households paying over 50 percent of their monthly income toward housing costs. The newly updated data suggest that housing insecurity was widespread among lower-income renters in the Third District even prior to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated economic downturn.

Visit the newly updated Rental Housing Affordability Data Tool to explore trends in rental housing affordability and examine the composition of cost-burdened, lower-income households in your state or metropolitan area.

For more, view the updated tool.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding called for research proposals that will strengthen and grow Pennsylvania’s poultry, swine, lamb, sheep and goat farming industries. Funded by the 2019 PA Farm Bill, $375,000 is available for projects to enhance biosecurity, diagnostic testing, veterinary telemedicine and other strategies to prevent, detect and manage animal diseases and protect the food supply.

“Science has made the food we eat safer and more abundant,” said Redding. “And science holds the keys to staying ahead of evolving diseases that bring catastrophic losses on the farm, devastate our economy and literally break the food supply chain. We’re looking to fund projects that will help Pennsylvania produce food even more safely, humanely and efficiently, regardless of the size of the farm operation and the challenges each presents.”

The 2019 PA Farm Bill created the Center for Poultry and Livestock Excellence, which is managed by PennAg Industries Association. The center’s board will review projects to be funded and assess their potential to meet the grant’s goals.

“I often reflect on the statement ‘proper prior planning prevents pitifully poor performance,’” said PennAg Executive Vice President Chris Herr. “This statement represents the focus of the funding opportunities this year. The center will concentrate on tools needed and preparedness for the lamb, sheep, goat, swine and poultry farmers across the commonwealth.”

Funding priorities are as follows.

$250,000 will be allocated for:

• Developing innovative methods to manage disease outbreaks in humane, safe, practical and efficient ways in large-scale livestock and poultry operations.
• Practical biosecurity implementation for commercial and backyard domestic livestock operations, recognizing threats such operations face from wildlife and inherent risks operations pose to each other.
• Increase diagnostic tools available through the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory system to support food-animal production with focus on enhanced to detect, differentiate and manage pathogens.
• Development, training and opportunities for food animal veterinarians to explore the capability of remote telemedicine to address challenges of supporting livestock health and animal productivity in rural Pennsylvania.

Approximately $125,000 will be allocated for projects to:

• Study various culturally-based live-animal sale practices to improve disease traceability in custom-butchered animals.
• Solicitation of industry input on specific diseases to identify and estimate the economic impact on PA food-animal operations.
• Establish protocols to mediate, prevent and eradicate bed bugs on poultry farms.

Apply online through PennAg. Full grant proposal guidelines can be found on the department’s website.

Proposals must be received by 11 a.m. on December 2, 2020. Applications whose proposals are accepted for funding will be notified by December 14.