During the week of April 6, 2020, Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine shared that, to date, 664 healthcare workers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The  commonwealth, as of Tuesday, had COVID-19 cases in all 67 counties, with more than 14,500 diagnosed cases, 1,665 of those in hospitals. To date, 240 people with the virus have died in Pennsylvania. According to Gov. Wolf, “We’re still growing at an alarming rate every single day.”

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just approved an order to create a $200 million telehealth program to support healthcare providers responding to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic using funds appropriated as part of the CARES Act.

• The FCC published more information on how potential applicants can prepare to submit a grant application for up to $1 million to fund telehealth equipment and operations.
• The order addressed the requirements to obtain an eligibility determination from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC); obtain an FCC Registration Number (FRN) and register with the System for Award Management.
• Please Note: While one of the required forms suggests that only rural providers are eligible for this funding opportunity, the FCC Order states in paragraph 16 that “the COVID-19 Telehealth Program will be open to eligible healthcare providers, whether located in rural or non-rural areas,” so non-rural providers should not be deterred from applying.
• Applications from healthcare providers will be accepted and processed on a rolling basis on a first come, first served basis as soon as application forms are published in the Federal Register.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging issued guidance on FBI background checks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal criminal background check sites have been identified as life-sustaining businesses and therefore may remain open to process FBI background checks, however, several of the fingerprint sites in Pennsylvania are closed. As provided in 35 P.S. § 10225.506, an applicant needing an FBI background check may be provisionally employed up to 90 days after applying for the criminal history report while waiting for the results of the FBI background check if specified conditions are met.

Due to COVID-19, additional health care practitioners will be needed to treat ill Pennsylvanians. This need may extend beyond the capacity of the professionals currently licensed by Pennsylvania’s health-licensing boards. To increase the available number of practitioners, the PA Department of State requested a suspension from Gov. Wolf to several provisions that create barriers to temporary licensure. The Department announced the following suspensions and waivers this week:

• Additional Reactivation Requirements Suspension (applies to multiple Boards)
• Renewal Extension Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists
• Waiving Certain Requirements for Graduate Medical Trainees

Go to the Dept. of State website for a complete list of waived and suspended licensing regulations.

The Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority Board voted to change the 2021 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period (OEP), moving away from the shortened 45-day OEP of previous years. The enrollment period will be Nov. 1, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2021, 30 days more than last year’s period. The Board was able to change the OEP due to Pennsylvania changing to a fully state-based marketplace for the 2021 enrollment period. This change allows the commonwealth to make changes to the enrollment period and other procedures like adding Special Enrollment Periods for the 2021 period. Board members agreed more time was needed for consumer enrollment as 2021 will be the first year since the beginning of the Affordable Care Act that Pennsylvania will be operating its own exchange.

As Members of Congress continue to work through negotiations on the next phase of their COVID-19 response, Congressional leadership is identifying priorities for future packages. Senate Majority Leader McConnell announced on Tuesday that the Senate plans to consider additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program later this week. The Senate reconvened on Thursday, April 9, to discuss additional assistance for small businesses but further action stalled. On a recent press call, Speaker Pelosi mentioned plans to set aside $10 billion for Community Health Center  funding in the fourth major COVID-19 package, expected to be passed when Congress returns from recess later this month. Click here to see an outline of the proposed “Phase 4” response.

The near shutdown of the state’s economy has negatively impacted General Fund revenue collections to the tune of nearly $300 million. For March, the Revenue Department reported revenue collections were $294.6 million, or 6.2 percent below estimate, wiping out the little excess revenue the state’s General Fund had built up during the first eight months of the current fiscal year. A substantial part of what will likely be a multi-billion-dollar revenue shortfall before the fiscal year concludes. Initial reports indicate that the state legislature is considering passing a 6-month budget through Dec. 31, 2020. This would allow the legislature to return in the Fall to pass another budget for the remaining six months with a better understanding of the state’s financial status.