Bill O’Boyle: State working to help amid major federal changes to Medicaid renewals

May 21—Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh this week joined representatives from The Wright Center for Community Health and Pennie to highlight how the Shapiro Administration and community organizations are collaborating to support Pennsylvanians through federal changes to Medicaid and CHIP renewal requirements so they can protect their health and stay covered.

"Everyone deserves the dignity and peace of mind of having access to affordable, high-quality, local health care and knowing they can go to the doctor when they need it," Arkoosh said. "DHS' goal throughout the renewal process is to make sure that all Pennsylvanians stay covered."

Arkoosh urged all Pennsylvanians who get their health coverage through the state to do a few things right now so that their renewal goes smoothly:

—Make sure your contact information is up-to-date with DHS.

—Check your renewal date so that you are ready to renew when the time comes.

—Complete your renewal by the deadline when it's your turn to renew.

The federal public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for individuals to remain enrolled in Medicaid even if they became ineligible, except in certain circumstances.

This is also known as the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement. A federal law ended the continuous coverage requirement on March 31, 2023.

Now, all Pennsylvanians receiving Medicaid or CHIP must once again complete their annual renewal when it is due. No one will lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage without first having an opportunity to renew their coverage or update their information.

Pennsylvanians can update their contact information, report changes in their personal circumstances, and check their renewal date:

Renewals will be completed over 12 months at a person's usual time of renewal renewals due in April 2023 will be the first to be affected by the end of continuous coverage.

If a person is found ineligible for coverage or does not complete their renewal on time, their Medicaid coverage will end.

Pennsylvanians who are no longer eligible for Medicaid will be referred to other sources of affordable medical coverage, like CHIP and Pennie, so they have no lapse in quality, affordable health care.

A Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, The Wright Center for Community Health's patient-centered medical home is an essential community provider of primary and preventive health services.

It is also a state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence and a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic.

"The flexibilities provided through the public health emergency successfully increased enrollment in Pennsylvania's Medicaid and CHIP programs during the public health emergency," said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. "These critically important government-sponsored relief initiatives undeniably saved the lives of many vulnerable and historically under-served patients by removing barriers to health care access."

Rep. Meuser hosts first

Coal Caucus meeting

Co-Chair of the Congressional Coal Caucus, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week hosted the Caucus' inaugural meeting to lay out its strategic priorities.

In attendance at the meeting were fellow Co-Chairs U.S. Representatives Harriet Hageman (WY-AL), Bill Johnson (OH-06), Morgan Griffith (VA-09), and Carol Miller (WV-1). Congressmen Mike Kelly (PA-16) and Dan Newhouse (WA-04), along with industry leaders, such as Brian Rich, President of Reading Anthracite Company, also participated in the Caucus meeting.

The Caucus' seven strategic priorities include:

—Oversight over the EPA's power plant agenda.

—Grid reliability legislation.

—Rail service reliability.

—Support of future coal use.

—Promoting policies to facilitate coal exports.

—Oversight over the Department of Interior's Federal Coal Leasing Program Review.

—General support of pro-coal tax policies.

"Coal is vital to our national interest," Meuser said. "The industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, powers our nation, and is crucial to steel production around the globe. The Congressional Coal Caucus will work throughout the 118th Congress to promote policies and dialogue that support the coal industry and the employees who are proud to work within it.

"I was happy to host the Coal Caucus' inaugural meeting this morning, and I thank my fellow Co-Chairs Hageman, Johnson, Miller and Griffith for their insight as we begin working toward the Caucus' strategic priorities."

The Congressional Coal Caucus will meet regularly to pursue its mission, "to be an active participant in legislative and policy debates related to the coal industry, including efforts to promote domestic production of coal, support for research and development of new coal technologies, and policies to protect the jobs and communities that depend on the coal industry."

Sen. Casey legislation aimed to prevent

violence towards people with disabilities

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, this week is introducing three bills to address the high incidence of violence involving law enforcement and people with disabilities — the Human-Services Emergency Logistics Program (HELP) Act; the Safe Interactions Act (SIA); and the Data on Interactions and Accountability for Law Enforcement with Individuals with Disabilities (DIALED) Act.

A report from the Ruderman Family Foundation found that 33% to 50% of all use-of-force instances involve people with mental health disabilities, disproportionately higher than the percentage of the population with a mental health disability.

"Far too often, people with disabilities and people experiencing mental health crises end up in fraught interactions with law enforcement who are unprepared to manage the situation, resulting in meaningless violence," Casey said. "It is vital that we break this cycle. The heartbreaking stories of Walter Wallace, Jr., Ricardo Muñoz, Osaze Osagie, Christian Hall, and many others tell us that we need to do more to prevent tragedies like these in the future. My legislation would connect people and police with the resources they need and keep more people safe from violence."

—The Human-Services Emergency Logistics Program (HELP) Act would divert non-criminal, non-fire and non-medical emergency calls from 9-1-1 systems to state and regional 2-1-1 and 9-8-8 systems, while providing resources and funding to improve 2-1-1 and 9-8-8 referral systems.

The bill would create an oversight system for the 2-1-1 and 9-8-8 networks comprised of community members who represent older adults, people with disabilities, communities of color, Tribal and Native Peoples, and LGBTQ+ people.

—The Safe Interactions Act would provide grants to enable non-profit disability organizations to develop training programs that support safe interactions between law enforcement officers and people with disabilities.

The training would be directed to both new and veteran officers and would include people with disabilities in the training as instructors. It would also establish an advisory council, chaired by a person with a disability, to oversee the training program development and implementation.

—The Data on Interactions and Accountability for Law Enforcement with Individuals with Disabilities (DIALED) Act would improve transparency by developing data collection to get an accurate representation of how people with disabilities are affected by interactions with law enforcement, including use-of-force and fatal interactions.

Department of Aging awards $2M

in Senior Community Center grants

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging this week announced 48 Senior Community Centers (SCCs) throughout the Commonwealth will be the recipients of the department's 2022-23 Senior Community Center grants — totaling $2 million in funding appropriated by the General Assembly from the Pennsylvania Lottery.

—In Luzerne County, the Kingston Active Adult Center received $129,513 for programs and services.

The grants will help senior centers fund projects based on the needs expressed in their applications, such as updating and modernizing facilities, providing new health and entertainment programs, upgrading technology, and enhancing nutrition services.

"Our Senior Community Centers are pillars in our communities and to the older adults they serve," said Acting Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. "Whether it's a meal, health and wellness activities, or socializing, these centers help our seniors thrive and continue to live independently as they age. Many times, a SCC may be the only interaction that an older adult has, and we want to make sure that our centers are welcoming, inclusive, and inviting."

There are 485 Senior Community Centers throughout Pennsylvania that provide a variety of offerings, such as nutritious meals, educational opportunities, transportation services, financial and insurance counseling, and exercise programs. Proceeds from the Pennsylvania Lottery help to fund these programs every year.

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Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.