Each year, along with a General Appropriations (GA) bill, the General Assembly will enact several “Code bills.” These bills typically include substantive provisions necessary to draw on the money appropriated in the GA bill.
This year, two bills amending the Human Services Code are being sent to the Governor for action. The first, H.B. 33 (Dunbar, R-Westmoreland), passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of Y:106/N:95 and the Senate by a vote of Y:26/N:25. The second, S.B. 695 (Brooks, R-Crawford), passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of Y:198/N:1 and the Senate by a vote of Y:49/N:1. Below are the highlights:
H.B. 33
- Eliminates the state funded cash assistance program.
- Continues the Medial Assistance Day One Incentive payment to qualifying nonpublic nursing facilities with an overall occupancy rate of at least 85% and an MA occupancy rate of at least 65%.
- Reauthorizes the Philadelphia hospital assessment.
S.B. 695
- Renews and extends the Nursing Facilities Assessment through June 30, 2022, and the Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities t through June 30, 2024 and extends the nursing facility budget adjustment factor until June 30, 2022.
- Prohibits the Department of Human Services from entering into a full-risk brokerage contract for nonemergency medical assistance transportation services until a study is conducted in conjunction with the Department of Aging and the Department of Transportation.
- Requires the Department of Human Services to conduct an analysis of the projected cost to Medicaid managed care organizations and the projected rebates that could be attained by implementing a uniform statewide preferred drug list.