Legislative
Share a Home Care Patient Story
December 8, 2024PHA is seeking member support to share patient stories to support 2025 advocacy efforts. Stories can be shared directly by a patient or by a representative who is willing to…
We are excited to announce the launch of a focused Public Relations campaign aimed at amplifying the recognition and visibility of home care services. This initiative will advocate for higher…
Last month, U.S. Representatives Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the Enhancing Hospice Oversight and Transparency Act. This bipartisan legislation seeks to delay the implementation of the…
Governor Shapiro and PA Legislature Honors Home-Based Healthcare Workers with ‘Care at Home Month’
November 17, 2024Governor Josh Shapiro has officially recognized November as Care at Home Month in Pennsylvania, celebrating the essential contributions of home-based healthcare workers. The Pennsylvania Senate and House, with resolutions led…
Help Elevate Home Care – Support Our Advocacy Initiative
November 17, 2024As part of our ongoing efforts to amplify the impact and visibility of home care services, we are launching a targeted Public Relations campaign to advocate for higher reimbursement rates…
This month, Representatives Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the Enhancing Hospice Oversight and Transparency Act. This bipartisan legislation seeks to delay the implementation of the CMS…
TAKE ACTION: Make Home Care A Priority in Upcoming Budget
November 3, 2024Direct care workers are Pennsylvania’s frontline caregivers, yet the Commonwealth’s funding lags behind all of our neighbors— including being nearly 25% behind West Virginia. This underfunding limits the ability to…
As we celebrate National Care at Home Month this November, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) is thrilled to share two major legislative wins that strengthen home-based care across the state:…
PHA Provides Additional OAPSA Testimony
November 3, 2024In her second testimony before a joint session of the Senate Aging and Youth and Senate Banking and Insurance Committees, PHA’s Board President CJ Rambler voiced concerns about proposed OAPSA…
PHA Legislation for Remote Interviewing of DCWs Signed Into Law
October 20, 2024On October 16th, Governor Shapiro signed HB 155 into law, officially becoming Act 96 of 2024. Act 96 allows the use of remote video technology for conducting direct care worker…
OLTL CHC Waiver Renewal Considers FBI Fingerprinting Requirement
October 20, 2024Earlier this year, the Office of Long-Term Living proposed language for the Community HealthChoices Waiver renewal and additionally for an OBRA Waiver Amendment. Included in the proposed changes is a…
Aging Adults Influence on Pennsylvania Voting Results
October 20, 2024In the last election, more than 60% of those who voted were 50+ years old. Candidates in upcoming elections must listen to this booming population to make sure they are…
October 23 OAPSA Hearing: PHA Comments on FBI Fingerprinting Requirement for All Hires
October 20, 2024Background: In Peake v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (2015), the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that the lifetime employment ban imposed by the Older Adults Protective Services Act (OAPSA) for individuals with…
The national spotlight has recently focused on the home care industry. Vice President Kamala Harris last week released her plan to expand Medicare coverage to home care under her “Medicare…
SB 1080 (LPN Death Pronouncement) Moves to Floor Vote
October 6, 2024On October 2, SB 1080, a bill that would allow LPNs to make death pronouncements in home- based hospice settings, was voted favorably out of the House Health Committee. Coming up…
Engagement Continues on OAPSA Rewrite
October 6, 2024Conversations are ongoing with the Senate, other key stakeholders, and the administration on the proposed Older Adult Protective Services Act (OAPSA) reform legislation that has been of increasing discussions of…
On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act). A large aim of the legislation is to improve cost structures and goal-concordant care for patients with increasingly complex physical, emotional, spiritual and psychosocial needs, according to Blumenauer. PHA is reviewing the bill and is largely supportive. PHA will work with key stakeholders to negotiate specifics of the bill to avoid unintended impacts on providers, patients or the hospice benefit.
The House Health Committee will be seeking a vote on SB1080 on October 2, 2024. SB1080 has been a PHA priority for many months with language in this bill allowing…
Home Care Caucus Hosted September 11
September 20, 2024On September 11, 2024, PHA hosted a virtual Home Care Caucus meeting for key legislative champions of the industry. This was an opportunity to highlight the reimbursement issues that are…
FBI Fingerprinting Proposed
September 20, 2024PHA is advocating on two proposed regulatory changes that can impact the speed and cost of how home health care workers are hired. Specifically, the current OLTL Waiver Renewals and…
PHA Testifies at OAPSA Senate Hearing
September 20, 2024On September 18, CJ Rambler, President of PHA’s Board of Directors, testified in front of a joint session of the Senate Aging & Youth Committee and the Senate Banking &…
Mission Moment: Anja Miller, Guthrie Hospice
September 20, 2024Watch this powerful Mission Moment from Anja Miller. Want to be featured and inspire others with your Mission Moment? Click here to submit yours!
We are thrilled to welcome Cody Jones to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) as Senior Director of Government Affairs. Cody brings a wealth of experience in government relations and strategic…
PHA Supports The National Alliance for Care at Home (NAHC-NHPCO) Commentary on 2025 HH PPS Rate Update
September 6, 2024The Pennsylvania Homecare Association recently signed on to a comment letter regarding the proposed 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System drafted by The National Alliance for Care at Home (Formerly:…
Mission Moments
September 6, 2024Watch this Mission Moment from Stan Rynkiewicz, Deer Meadows Home Health and Support Services, LLC. Want to be featured and inspire others with your Mission Moment? Click here to submit…
September is Workforce Development Month, a time to recognize, celebrate, and advocate for the critical role that workforce development plays in strengthening our communities, particularly within the home care, home…
On August 22, 2024, West Virginia’s Governor announced rate increases for Providers at an average of 15% effective October 1, 2024, with certain line items reaching increases of 34%. Included…
Pennsylvania Senator Tracy Pennycuick: Pennsylvania Needs to Do More to Allow Individuals to Receive Care at Home
August 23, 2024Pennsylvania Senator Tracy Pennycuick, representing the 24th District which includes parts of Berks and Montgomery counties, released an opinion editorial this week highlighting the home health care misses in the recently…
Mission Moment: Jennifer Baker
August 23, 2024Want to be featured and inspire others with your Mission Moment? Click here to submit your Mission Moment.
PDN: Advocate for Nursing Rate Increases Today!
August 16, 2024Don’t wait until April/May of 2025 to advocate for rate increases for nurses. Advocacy starts NOW! Sharing patient stories is a vital aspect of advocacy because it personalizes the impact of…
Tell Congress to Stop the Medicaid HCBS 80/20 Pass-Through
August 10, 2024The recent Medicaid Access Rule finalized by CMS requires that by 2026 states implement a provision that no less than 80% of all Medicaid payments be spent on compensation for…
Support Home-Based Care: Contribute to HomePAC Today!
August 9, 2024On behalf of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association’s Political Action Committee, HomePAC, please consider making a contribution for the 2024 year. Your support is crucial in ensuring that the voice of…
New Legislation Aims to Strengthen Nursing Workforce
August 9, 2024Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-8) has introduced the National Urgent Recruitment for Skilled Employees (NURSE) Visa Act to address the severe shortage of nurses in the U.S. This legislation proposes granting…
Protect Home Health Care from Cuts
July 29, 2024On June 26, 2024, CMS released its proposed rule for Calendar Year 2025, which includes a substantial 4.067 % cut to the home health base payment rate. This follows previous…
FY 2024-25 Key Budget Updates on ID/A Increases
July 29, 2024At the July 25 Medical Assistance Advisory Committee, Kristin Ahrens, Deputy Secretary of ODP, shared important FY 2024-25 budget updates that reflect the Shapiro administration’s commitment to affirming the dignity of…
Pennsylvania’s new $47.6 billion budget, a 6% increase over last year’s spending, has been finalized for the fiscal year starting July 1. This budget prioritizes public schools, higher education affordability,…
President Joe Biden Drops Out of 2024 Presidential Race
July 22, 2024President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he will end his presidential re-election campaign, bringing an abrupt and humbling conclusion to his half-century-long political career. This decision scrambles the race…
Keep the Momentum Going by Contributing to HomePAC, PHA’s Political Action Committee! Every dollar contributed is a step towards securing critical increases for direct care workers and nurses in next year’s budget….
Late last week in a whirlwind of committee meetings and floor votes, the General Assembly finalized the state’s fiscal year 2024-25 spending plan. The key budget-related bills—including the General Appropriations…
A significant sticking point remains education funding, as lawmakers struggle to determine the appropriate amount for schools. Senate Republican Leader Joe Pittman emphasized the complexity of achieving “fair funding” across…
SB 1080 Passes Senate, Headed to the House!
July 8, 2024We are thrilled to announce that the Pennsylvania State Senate has unanimously passed Senate Bill (SB) 1080, sponsored by Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver! This crucial bill addresses a significant issue in…
State Budget Negotiations Continue into Next Week; PHA Advocates for rate increases; Combats inequitable increases among models of care
July 1, 2024The state budget will not be completed by the June 30 constitutional deadline, but legislative leaders and Governor Josh Shapiro are optimistic that a deal will be reached next week….
In a detailed letter to House Labor and Industry Chairmen Dawkins and Mackenzie, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA), the Pennsylvania Association of Home and Community-Based Services (PA-HCBS), the Rehabilitation & Community Providers…
On June 13, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced a discussion draft of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act), focusing on hospice payment reform and program…
On June 12, 2024, the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee and the Senate Aging and Youth Committee convened for a joint hearing to discuss the “Aging Our Way,…
PHA and Stakeholders Unite to Address OAPSA Concerns
June 24, 2024PHA, alongside key stakeholders in the long-term care community, have united to express concerns over the recently proposed reforms to the Older Adult Protective Service Act (OAPSA). In a letter to…
Bipartisan House Companion Introduced Allowing Hospice LPNs to Make Death Pronouncements
June 24, 2024The Pennsylvania Homecare Association is celebrating the introduction of House Bill 2434 sponsored by Rep. Paul Takac (D-Centre). This legislation is identical to SB 1080 which was passed by the…
Two Democratic senators from Massachusetts have introduced a bill they say is meant to “root out corporate greed and private equity abuse” in nursing homes, assisted living communities, home health…
PHA Opposes Burdensome OAPSA Revisions
June 17, 2024PHA quickly responded to a request for feedback on revised Older Adult Protective Services (OAPSA) language presented to stakeholders by the administration and the House Aging & Older Services Committee. OAPSA has…
#FreetheData Bill Passes PA Senate
June 17, 2024On June 12, legislation to #FreetheData passed the Pennsylvania Senate 48-0. The bill will #FreetheData, providing workforce boards and stakeholders with enhanced access to critical workforce information, ensuring that workforce…