Senator Cris Dush 

With everything that has been dysfunctional in government of late I’m happy to report that, with the modifications we made to HB1351, it is on its way to the Governor for his signature!

The 25th District has seen one hospital reduced to emergency care only and two others over the past year and a half being very close to closure. We’ve also lost one EMS provider and another that serves our area from another district go out of service. A number of our nursing homes are in dire straights as well.

HB 1351 now contains language that will provide help in the following ways:

• EMS Reimbursements

EMS systems throughout the Commonwealth currently face extremely serious financial and workforce challenges. The Code amendments address the needs of the EMS community by increasing reimbursement rates for services and ensuring providers are compensated for all loaded miles. These changes will drive $63.1 million of new revenue and new resources into the EMS network statewide beginning January 1 through the end of the 2023-24 Fiscal Year (or $126.2 million on a full-year basis).

• Hospital Assessments

Every five years we need to reauthorize a state tax that is imposed on hospital services. When Pennsylvania enacts appropriate hospital assessment language, the federal government matches a portion of the revenue, allowing some of the funds collected by the state to be returned to hospitals. Without legislative authorization, the state cannot collect this tax and will not have the required state funds to make payments to hospitals. The first payment to hospitals is typically made in mid-October.

• Nursing Facility Case Mix Rate

For the current fiscal year, Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes are calculated partially based on costs incurred to meet COVID-19 mandates. This has created a circumstance in which approximately 70 nursing homes are losing an average of $19 a day for more than 4,000 patients statewide.

Freezing the rate at the previous year’s level will help reduce volatility and level the playing field so these facilities can continue to meet the needs of vulnerable patients. Every day that these rates persist, more and more nursing facilities risk closure.