New investments will make it easier for social workers to practice across state lines, increase behavioral health access, and better facilitate telehealth services

Funding builds on HRSA’s work to support licensure compacts to improve access to primary care and psychology

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the first-ever Licensure Portability Grant Program investment in a multi-state social worker licensure compact. State licensure compacts allow states to come together on a common approach to licensing health care providers, allowing providers to practice across state lines without having to apply for a license in each state. Streamlining licensure while maintaining quality standards improves access to services both by better facilitating hiring and by easing pathways to utilizing telehealth. The announcement was made at HRSA’s National Telehealth Conference, the largest federal conference on telehealth issues.

“Social workers are essential to expanding access to behavioral health care services, a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “HRSA is leading the way in growing the behavioral health workforce both by training more providers and by breaking down barriers to allow the workforce to make mental health and substance use disorder services more accessible across the country.”

HRSA’s new $2.5 million investment in licensure compacts will support the work to launch a social worker compact as well as HRSA’s ongoing support for building and sustaining primary care, psychology, and podiatry compacts. HRSA identified behavioral health as a priority in its state licensure compact work. Since HRSA began investing in licensure compacts, the Interstate Medical Licensing Compact and the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) have each grown to include 40 states, Washington, D.C., and one territory.

“Social workers are on the frontlines in responding to the Administration’s priorities, including meeting children’s mental health needs, responding to the opioid epidemic, and addressing maternal depression,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Today’s announcement is a critical step in helping social workers serve people in need, particularly in rural and underserved communities across the country.”

Today’s awards will support the Association of Social Work Boards, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, and the Federation of Podiatric Medical Boards in working with state licensing boards to develop and implement state policies that reduce barriers to telehealth and allow for practice across state lines.

HRSA’s National Telehealth Conference brings public and private sector leaders together to discuss telehealth best practices to expand services in underserved and rural communities. This year, over 2,000 individuals registered to explore the future of telehealth including innovation, policy, and licensure issues.

To learn more about the Licensure Portability Grant Program, visit the Licensure Portability Grant Program Awardees webpage.

For more information on HRSA’s telehealth health work, visit the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth webpage.

Rep. Mike Kelly R-PA from the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee is sponsoring the Health Care Sharing Ministry Tax Parity Act (HCSM). The bill would allow members of faith-based organizations and ministries to deduct healthcare related expenses from their taxes to achieve tax fairness for ministries that share health care costs. The rules make it clear that these organizations would not be able to offer health insurance to ensure there would be no loopholes with the current tax rules. Millions of Americans participate in HCSM programs sharing the cost of more than $1 billion in medical expenses.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a final rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to strengthen nondiscrimination protections and advance civil rights in health care. This rule reinstates non-discrimination standards for all Health and Human Services health programs and activities, protects LGBTQI+ patients from discrimination, requires that all entities including insurers and providers let people know language assistance and services are available, requires staff training on sections of the 1557 policies and respects federal guarantees regarding religious freedoms and conscience as set for by 45 CFR 92.3 and 92.302. See the Fact Sheet.

The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2024, HR 4581, passed through both the House and the Senate, and now awaits President Biden’s signature before it becomes law. The bipartisan bill amends the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant program to allow states to use those dollars for stillbirth prevention and research activities but does not include additional funding.

On Tuesday, June 25, by a margin of 133-69, lawmakers in the Pennsylvania House passed House Bill 1140, which would require health insurance policies – as well as government health insurance programs like Medical Assistance and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – to cover FDA-approved contraceptive drugs, devices and products for covered individuals. The bill’s prime sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Leanne Krueger, said in a statement after the House vote that the bill would establish state-level protections for contraceptive access. “Pennsylvania currently has no protections in state law for contraceptive access, so attacks at the federal level jeopardize our access,” Krueger said. The bill currently awaits action from the state Senate.

Health committees in the Pennsylvania House and Senate are working on a compromise agreement that will increase oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The Pennsylvania legislation would allow the state’s Insurance Department to regulate certain aspects of pharmacy benefit managers’ business that have been called anti-competitive. Read more. Included in this legislation is language that will prohibit PBMs from reimbursing qualified health centers participating in 340B less than they would reimburse similar entities that do not participate in the program. This is an evolving process so stay tuned for updates.

Legislation addressing worker shortages in healthcare and facilitating Pennsylvania’s entry into interstate compacts has been sent to Gov. Josh Shapiro to be signed into law. Sponsored by Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, HB 2200 enables interstate licensing compacts to become operational. The legislation requires applicants in healthcare professions to submit fingerprints as part of their criminal history records check and lays out the process that Pennsylvania State Police and state licensing boards must follow in considering them. The change in law allows licensees to practice in other participating states with just one license. Without the fingerprinting process in place, previous efforts to implement the compacts were unsuccessful.