Pennsylvania Featured in New Report about States Moving from Federal- to State-based Health Care Marketplaces

October 11, 2019

Pennsylvania is one of six states examined in an Urban Institute report examining an increasing trend among states: a shift from federal- to state-based health care marketplaces.

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Effort to Improve Care Coordination by Modernizing Anti-Fraud Regulations Proposed

October 09, 2019

The Trump Administration today issued two proposed rules that will modernize fraud and abuse laws. 

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Executive Order Calls for Medicare Policy Reforms

October 04, 2019

Yesterday, President Trump issued an executive order calling for Medicare policy reforms intended to encourage innovation, increase seniors’ options for obtaining affordable health care coverage, lower regulatory burdens for providers, and enhance the program’s fiscal sustainability by linking payment to value.

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Gov. Calls for End of Stigmatizing Opioid Use Disorder; PA Hospitals Focus on Increased Treatment, Reduced Deaths, and Compassionate Conversations

September 26, 2019

Earlier this week, Governor Tom Wolf joined the Independence Blue Cross Foundation to call for an end to the stigmas associated with opioid use disorder.

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Innovative Rural Health Model, Legislation Advances

September 24, 2019

Yesterday, legislation aimed at improving the financial stability of rural hospitals cleared another legislative hurdle and was voted out of the House Health Committee. Senate Bill 314, sponsored by Senator Lisa Baker (R–Luzerne), would establish the Pennsylvania Rural Health Redesign Center (RHRC), which would serve as the governing body of the new Rural Health Model, which began January 1, 2019, and was formally announced during March.

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Legislation Improving Credentialing Process for Health Care Practitioners Passes Committee

September 18, 2019

The Pennsylvania House Health Committee today unanimously approved HAP-supported legislation that streamlines and improves the insurer credentialing process for health care practitioners.

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Site-neutral Payment Policy Impacting Community Care Overturned

September 18, 2019

A federal district court judge ruled that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) exceeded its statutory authority when it finalized policy to decrease payments for clinic visits at off-campus outpatient departments.

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Advocacy Group Makes Stop at Capitol to Support the Affordable Care Act

August 28, 2019

Pennsylvania has been identified as a swing state for the 2020 presidential election. As a result, we can expect to see policy debates early and often. One of the recent conversations has been about health care, and specifically, health insurance coverage.

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HAP Endorses Federal Effort to Protect Patients from Delays in Care, Lauds Rep. Mike Kelly’s Efforts to Standardize Prior Authorization

August 22, 2019

HAP has joined more than 300 patient, physician, health care professional, and other health care stakeholder organizations in expressing support for bipartisan legislation that would help protect patients from unnecessary delays in care.

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News Release: PA Hospital Opioid Learning and Action Collaborative Kicks off in Harrisburg

August 20, 2019

Pennsylvania hospital leaders and substance use disorder recovery specialists today met in Harrisburg to formally kick off The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania’s Opioid Learning Action Network, a collaborative for and by Pennsylvania’s hospital community.

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CMS Reports Show Enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace is Declining among Those Who Do Not Receive Subsidies

August 16, 2019

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week released two reports that identify trends in the individual health insurance marketplace (also known as the exchange) for 2018, and provide insight about the market for 2019. 

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Report on Medicare Public Option’s Impact on Rural Hospitals Reveals Increased Closure Risks

August 09, 2019

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33 PA Health Care Groups Agree: Reform Insurance Prior Authorization Practices

July 24, 2019

In HAP’s latest blog, President and CEO Andy Carter shares how a coalition of 33 health care organizations that represent Pennsylvania providers is calling for commonsense reforms to protect against prior authorization red tape that can keep patients from getting the health care they need when they need it.

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Proposed Federal Rule Could Cut SNAP Benefits to Millions, Increase Food Insecurity

July 23, 2019

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an upcoming a proposed rule that would limit its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), saving the department a reported $2.5 billion annually and cutting benefits to some three million people.

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PA Hospital Rural Residency Program Receives Federal Recognition, Grant Funding

July 18, 2019

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Lehigh Valley Health Network participated in an event that announced a grant to fund a new rural residency program in the commonwealth.

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