U.S. Senate Bipartisan 340B Working Group Announces New Members

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) welcomed Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) as new members of the Senate 340B bipartisan working group. The Senate 340B working group was founded to advance bipartisan policy solutions that would make certain the program can continue to achieve its intended goal of supporting hospitals serving vulnerable populations like rural communities. Past work by the Senate 340B bipartisan working group:

·        In February 2024, the 340B working group released a legislative discussion draft and supplemental request for information which included solutions to improve the 340B program.

·        In 2023, the working group requested feedback from stakeholders on ways to improve the 340B program through bipartisan policy solutions.

Democrats Retain Majority in Pennsylvania House after Special Election

Democrats swept the pair of special elections to fill vacancies in the state Senate and House. With the win in the House special election, Democrats will retain their razor-thin majority in that chamber with 102 Democrats and 101 Republicans. The results in that House race were hardly surprising; the district leans heavily towards the Democrats. In that race, Dan Goughnour got 63% of the vote to defeat the Republican nominee Charles D. Davis. In the Senate special election, the narrow win by James Malone means Democrats flipped the district, last held by former Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster. Despite that win, Republicans still hold the majority in the state Senate.

DOJ, HHS Expand Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine; Effective Date Delayed

On Monday, the Federal Register published two final rules from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) titled “Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter” and “Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients.”  Originally scheduled to go into effect on March 21, 2025, the rules were delayed by a “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review.”  Following comments from the public received by the DOJ’s Drug Enforcement Agency, the effective date of both final rules is moved to December 31, 2025.

Change in Start Date for HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program

While not accepting any new applications for this Notice of Funding Opportunity that closed on January 27, HRSA is notifying existing applicants that the expected start date has been changed from May 1 to August 1, 2025.  We anticipate that successful applicants will be notified of grant funding in July 2025.  We plan to fund awards in 12-month budget periods for a total four-year period of performance from August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2029. Please note that the program and awards depend on the appropriation of funds and are subject to change based on the availability and amount of appropriations. HRSA plans to make approximately 50 awards to support rural communities to expand the delivery of health care services. Approximately 40 awards are for the program’s regular track to support rural community identified healthcare needs, and approximately 10 awards under the program’s special track to address to heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury/substance use, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, and maternal health

With Few Dentists and Fluoride Under Siege, Rural America Risks New Surge of Tooth Decay

In the wooded highlands of northern Arkansas, where small towns have few dentists, water officials who serve more than 20,000 people have for more than a decade openly defied state law by refusing to add fluoride to the drinking water.

For its refusal, the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority has received hundreds of state fines amounting to about $130,000, which are stuffed in a cardboard box and left unpaid, said Andy Anderson, who is opposed to fluoridation and has led the water system for nearly two decades.

This Ozark region is among hundreds of rural American communities that face a one-two punch to oral health: a dire shortage of dentists and a lack of fluoridated drinking water, which is widely viewed among dentists as one of the most effective tools to prevent tooth decay. But as the anti-fluoride movement builds unprecedented momentum, it may turn out that the Ozarks were not behind the times after all.

“We will eventually win,” Anderson said. “We will be vindicated.”

Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, keeps teeth strong when added to drinking water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association. But the anti-fluoride movement has been energized since a government report last summer found a possible link between lower IQ in children and consuming amounts of fluoride that are higher than what is recommended in American drinking water. Dozens of communities have decided to stop fluoridating in recent months, and state officials in Florida and Texas have urged their water systems to do the same. Utah is poised to become the first state to ban it in tap water.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long espoused fringe health theories, has called fluoride an “industrial waste” and “dangerous neurotoxin” and said the Trump administration will recommend it be removed from all public drinking water.

Read more.

Thriving PA Releases New Early Intervention Fact Sheet

Thriving PA released a new Infant and Toddler Early Intervention fact sheet, aimed at educating policymakers about the program as part of our advocacy for the 2025-26 budget cycle. The fact sheet notes services and benefits provided by EI and highlights state-specific data. In the 2022-23 school year, 48,199 children were served by the program in Pennsylvania.

Thriving PA supports, at minimum, the Administration’s proposed increase of $16.2 million for the Infant/Toddler Early Intervention program as part of a final FY 2025-26 budget package. The proposed increase would provide $10 million for a long-overdue rate increase for providers and serve an additional 3,000 children and their families. This increase is a first step in addressing the workforce shortage of Early Intervention providers. Additional support beyond the $16.2 million is recommended, as we estimate $49 million in new funding is needed this year to address increased costs to the program and the projected children served.

Free Autism Resources Available for Dental and Medical Offices

The ASERT Collaborative (Autism Services, Education, Resources and Training) is a statewide partnership that provides streamlined access to information for Pennsylvanians living with and impacted by autism.

The ASERT website hosts resources covering a wide range of topics for parents, self-advocates, professionals, and community members while also providing information on statewide events, support groups, and free online training opportunities. To request free ASERT brochures in English or Spanish for your office, email info@paautism.org.

Click here to view an informational flyer.
Click here to learn more about ASERT.

New Oral Health Brief Published: What Happens if Adult Medicaid Goes Away

The American Dental Association (ADA) released a new research brief, “What Happens if Adult Medicaid Dental Goes Away?” This resource outlines the cost implications of eliminating the adult dental Medicaid benefit.

If federal aid to state Medicaid programs is reduced, states will face considerable budgetary challenges to keep Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled and provided with the same level of services. This resource looks at the estimated costs due to emergency department visits for dental conditions, unmet periodontal needs among pregnant beneficiaries, and beneficiaries with diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Click here to view the resource.

US Sees 300+ Measles Cases, Highest in a Year Since 2019

The U.S. has recorded more than 300 cases of measles in just the first three months of this year according to data published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most infections recorded in a single year since 2019. More than 90 percent of those cases are linked to a growing outbreak that began in western Texas and has now spread to New Mexico. Source: The Hill