U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director Bob Morgan announced two Housing Preservation Grant or HPG project awards.

The two projects were awarded to Safe Housing Inc. and DON Enterprises Inc. for a total of $551,524. The projects will support more than 36 homes across five counties in Pennsylvania. The HPG program provides grants to sponsor organizations for the repair and rehabilitation of housing owned or occupied by low- and very-low-income rural citizens.

“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are making record investments in rural America to ensure everyone in this country has a path to success,” Morgan said. “The investments we’re making today will have lasting economic and social benefits that will allow current and future generations to make a good life right at home in their rural communities.”

The investments are part of President Biden’s commitment to advance equity for all, including those who have been historically underserved, marginalized and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.

Safe Housing Inc.’s grant of $275,762 will be used to conduct housing rehabilitation of owner-occupied low and very low-income residents in eligible areas of Adams County, Pennsylvania. They plan to repair six houses within Adams County. Grant funds will be used to remove health and safety hazards, correct code violations, and/or improve accessibility, if needed. The funds are an essential tool to assist folks, in Adams County, to maintain their homes. This project will help ensure that low and very low-income homeowners have a safe and decent home in which to live.

DON Enterprises Inc.’s grant of $275,762 will be used to conduct housing rehabilitation of owner-occupied low and very low-income residents in eligible areas. DON Enterprises, Inc. plans to repair 30 houses within Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, and Mercer counties in Pennsylvania. Grant funds will be used to remove health and safety hazards, correct code violations, and/or improve accessibility if needed. The funds are an essential tool to help folks, in counties served by DON Enterprise, Inc., to maintain their homes. These funds will go a long way to ensure that low and very low-income homeowners have a safe and decent home in which to live.

The Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) is using the results of the recent Community Health Center Staff Wellness Survey to build a suite of resources and services to help increase staff wellness at CHCs. You will be hearing more in this newsletter as resources become available. But you can stay up to date with new developments and resources by subscribing to a mailing list to receive the latest news. By subscribing, you’ll benefit from immediate access to new resources and tools, timely notifications about upcoming events and webinars, and tailored information to address workforce well-being challenges.

On Tuesday, CVS Health unveiled its plan to overhaul drug pricing at its roughly 9,500 retail pharmacies, of which 466 are PA locations. According to the company, CVS CostVantage “evolves the traditional pharmacy reimbursement model and brings greater transparency and simplicity to the system. CVS CostVantage will define the drug cost and related reimbursement with contracted pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and payors, using a transparent formula built on the cost of the drug, a set markup, and a fee that reflects the care and value of pharmacy services.”

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In 2024, the Pennsylvania Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) will begin enrolling new provider types in the MA program to prepare for upcoming service expansion. Pharmacists will be enrolled as individual practitioners in early 2024. Pharmacies are currently enrolled, but now individual pharmacists will be enrolled too. Enrolled pharmacists will be able to provide services to MA beneficiaries within the scope of their licensure. MCOs will be able to submit encounters to the Department of Human Services for claims paid to pharmacists. Also beginning in early 2024, doulas will be enrolled in the MA Program for the purposes of managed care only. In 2024, doulas are required to be a part of maternity care teams, which MCOs must use to provide perinatal services for at least 25% of their covered births. The doulas may be employed or contracted by the birthing hospital or a physician group, or they may be independent. Like pharmacists, this enrollment will allow MCOs to submit encounters to DHS for any claims paid to doulas. To be enrolled in the MA Program, doulas will need to possess the PA Certification Board’s Certified Perinatal Doula credential. By establishing doula services in the managed care delivery system throughout 2024, OMAP is paving the way for doula services to be added to the State Plan once capacity has been established, hopefully in 2025. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are also going to be enrolled in the MA Program soon and are on track to be added to the State Plan in 2025. MCOs must work with CHWs as part of their Community Based Care Management programs. PACHC is seeking clarification from DHS on if and when each of these providers become eligible to generate an FQHC encounter and will share additional information when available.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) made available for public review and comment the proposed Federal Section 1115 Demonstration application entitled “Bridges to Success: Keystones of Health for Pennsylvania,” which proposes Medicaid coverage for Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN), reentry supports and multiyear continuous eligibility for young children. The purpose of the proposed demonstration is to further the objectives of Medicaid to expand access to care, improve health outcomes, drive innovation, and engage partners and communities through targeted, time-limited interventions to address HRSNs. The demonstration application is available online at DHS’ website. DHS also announced three virtual public hearings to receive comments about the proposed demonstration, the first from 12:00-1:00 pm on Dec. 11, the second from 6:00-7:00 pm on Dec. 12, and the third from 9:00-10:00 am on Dec. 15. The department’s 30-day public comment period on the proposed demonstration application will be from Dec. 2, 2023, to Jan. 2, 2024. Additional information, including how to register for the public hearings, is available in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration is alerting Pennsylvania companies to a new federal requirement. Beginning Jan. 1, many companies in the United States will have to report information about their beneficial owners, individuals who ultimately own or control a company, to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. “While this is a federal requirement and not a Pennsylvania requirement, we are informing our business customers so that they can be prepared to comply,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. “The Department’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations maintains records of more than three million companies that do business in the commonwealth and serves as the centralized filing office for Uniform Commercial Code financing statements.”

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule aimed at raising network adequacy standards for state-based exchange plans among other changes for health plans, agents, and brokers. Along with requiring state-based exchanges to have the same network time and distance standards as the federal exchanges, the proposals provide states with greater flexibility to determine financial eligibility policies, which could allow for targeted expansions of Medicaid coverage; allow state-run exchanges to require insurers to cover adult dental care as an essential health benefit; and require a transition period before states can establish a state-based marketplace. The changes are included in the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (Payment Notice) proposed rule for 2025.

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Legislation in the Pennsylvania House could help law enforcement crack down on Medicaid fraud. Last month Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the arrests or convictions of providers accused of illegally billing Medicaid to the tune of $800,000. At the time, Henry touted a “staunch commitment to hold accountable those who steal from Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents.” “I could not agree more with the attorney general’s commitment to stop Medicaid fraud in Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Mike Cabell, R-Luzerne, the prime sponsor of House Bill 876, which was introduced earlier this year and would require Medicaid providers to use the National Provider Identifier (NPI) or State Provider Identifier (SPI) when filing a claim.