- Native Americans Have Shorter Life Spans, and It's Not Just Due to Lack of Health Care
- Promotoras Play Essential Role in Connecting Farmworkers with Health Care in Rural NorCal
- Using Medicaid to Address Young People's Mental Health Needs in School Settings
- Across the Country, Amish Populations Are on the Rise
- Sunsets, Wildlife and Limited Care: Challenges of Aging in Place in Rural America
- City-Country Mortality Gap Widens amid Persistent Holes in Rural Health Care Access
- Tribal Environmental Impact Network
- Minnesota's Rural Ambulance Providers Look to State Capitol for Their Own Lifeline
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Action to Support the Primary Care Workforce
- Over 3,000 Homes on the Navajo Nation Receive Accurate Addresses for the First Time
- Rural Population Grows for Second Consecutive Year
- Rapides Library Offers Telehealth to a Town Without Doctors
- Rural Infection Preventionists Need Community Support
- New Federal Health IT Strategy Sets Sights on a Heathier, More Innovative, and More Equitable Health Care Experience
- Upcoming Virtual Workshop: Partnering for Success: Building Partnerships for Health Workforce Training and Education
Assisters Must be Registered
Navigators and Certified Application Counselors (Assisters) must be registered with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department to provide enrollment assistance to consumers seeking coverage on Healthcare.gov and on the upcoming Pennsylvania insurance exchange, Pennie.com. Registrations last for two years. To renew your current or expired registration or verify your expiration date, go to PID’s Licensee Verification Page.
2021 Pennsylvania Marketplace Plan Preview Webinars
MARK YOUR CALENDAR – PACHC will be hosting two webinars to preview the 2021 PA State-based Health Insurance Marketplace plans on Wednesday, Oct. 21 and Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. These webinars will provide enrollment assisters with information on individual plan design offerings for the upcoming enrollment period which begins on Nov. 1, 2020 and ends Jan 15, 2021. Each plan presentation will be 20-25 minutes with time for questions from attendees. Assisters need to be familiar with changes in provider networks, tiering and plan benefits to aid consumers in making the best choice for their needs.
Important Information about Assister Training and Registration
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2021 Assister Certification training for those operating on the federally facilitated marketplace. Pennsylvania assisters (Navigators and Certified Application Counselors) SHOULD NOT take this training. Pennsylvania is a state-based marketplace for the 2021 Enrollment period. The Pennsylvania assister training will be available by Oct. 1, 2020 from the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority (Pennie) through Cognosante, PACHC’S partner for assister services. New guidance has also been released regarding Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID)registration for new enrollment assisters. For those who have not previously taken assister training and have never registered with PID, you may now register prior to completing your training. This is a change from previous years. For more information, please contact Tia Whitaker, Statewide Director for Outreach and Enrollment.
Bi-Partisan Group in U.S. House Working on Fourth Stimulus Package
According to The Hill, the Problem Solvers Caucus, comprised of centrist Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House, will propose a $1.5 trillion package that provides another round of stimulus checks, boosted unemployment insurance and much-needed aid for cities and states. This proposal is in response to the continued stalemate between the U.S. House and Senate and the White House around a fourth stimulus package. The proposed package does not include additional funding for FQHCs. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) is the vice-chair of the caucus. Other members of the Pennsylvania delegation in the caucus include Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester), Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Lebanon) and Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster).
More than Half of U.S. House Asks Azar to Address Drug Makers’ 340B Actions Immediately
In a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, more than half of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives indicated that “it is imperative that immediate action is taken to ensure covered entities continue to receive crucial 340B drug discounts.” The bipartisan Sept. 14 letter, was spearheaded by Reps. David McKinley (R-WV) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) in response to recent drug manufacturer actions to restrict federally required 340B drug discounts. The letter asserts the actions undermine the 340B program’s intended purpose and the 243 representatives said HHS, “must take immediate action to stop these companies from either denying or limiting access to 340B pricing to hospitals, health centers, and clinics participating in 340B.” The bipartisan letter is a powerful political rebuke of five drug manufacturers’ recent actions limiting contract pharmacy participation in the program. The bipartisan letter increases pressure on Azar to do something to stop the drug makers. Fourteen of the 18 members of the Pennsylvania delegation signed on to the letter including Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Philadelphia), Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Luzerne), Rep. Madeline Dean (D-Montgomery), Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Allegheny), Rep. Dwight Evans, (D-Philadelphia), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester), Rep. Fred Keller (R-Lycoming), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Erie), Rep. Connor Lamb (D-Allegheny), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Westmoreland), Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Delaware), Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Centre) and Rep. Susan Wild (D-Lehigh). In addition, 28 U.S. senators-including Senator Casey (D-PA)-also wrote a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to urge the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) “to take immediate and appropriate enforcement action” to halt “recent actions from pharmaceutical manufacturers that threaten to undermine the role of contract pharmacies in the 340B drug pricing program.”
Wolf Administration Launches Resource to Support Kinship Caregivers
The PA Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Aging (PDA) Secretary launched KinConnector, a resource designed to help kinship care families connect to services and supports that can help children and their caregivers. Grandparents raising grandchildren are among the most common type of kinship caregiver, but kinship care families also can include an aunt or uncle, adult sibling, or a non-relative caregiver such as a close family friend raising a child when their parents cannot care for them. Kinship care arrangements help maintain family bonds and reduce trauma experienced when children cannot be cared for by their own parents. KinConnector is part of a kinship navigator program for Pennsylvania that will assist kinship care families to access resources and supports and connect with families in similar situations around the commonwealth. KinConnector also runs a helpline with English and Spanish options that can be reached by calling 1-866-KIN-2111 (1-866-546-2111).
DHS Says Families Face Food Insecurity Absent Congressional Action
On August 20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified states that pandemic electronic benefit transfer (P-EBT) benefits could be issued to schools that are not providing meal service due to the closure of the school for at least five days as long as benefits were issued by Sept. 30. P-EBT helps ensure that children can eat. Pennsylvania submitted its plan to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service for approval on Aug. 28 and last week learned the plan was denied. The PA Department of Human Services (DHS) would like to continue P-EBT for the entire 2021 school year, but cannot do so without Congressional reauthorization, as the program sunsets on Sept. 30. DHS is urging Congress to reauthorize P-EBT for the entire 2020-21 school year and to clearly state how benefits should be issued for hybrid and remote learning environments.
House Authorizes Study on Medical Student Choice in Primary Care
The House of Representatives unanimously passed HR 626, which directs the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study on efforts within medical schools to promote student choice in primary care, to include primary care experience in the curriculum and accurately monitoring and reporting graduate retention in primary care. The resolution requires that the commission seek input and information from PACHC for the report. The commission must issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly within one year of the adoption of the resolution.
UDS Training Save the Dates
The 2020 UDS Training will be held virtually on the mornings of Dec.3, Dec. 8, and Dec. 10 (specific time is TBD). Please mark your calendars for all dates as this will be held in a three-part series including dedicated time for Q&A. Attendees will:
- Gain an understanding of UDS reporting requirements including the patient profile, clinical services and quality of care indicators, operational and financial tables, and other required UDS reporting forms.
- Learn about the new measures and requirements included in 2020 reporting.
- Learn tips for success including strategies for submission.
More information and registration will open at a later date. For questions, please contact Amanda Tekely.
Radically Rural: Art as an Amplifier for Community Connection
By Caroline Tremblay
Artists and art collectives help small towns with creative problem-solving during the pandemic.
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