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Policy Areas

On March 14, 2016, the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee convened a forum on the state of the knowledge relating to the causes, effects, and treatments of concussions. The forum featured input from experts representing the medical, military, athletic, and research communities with a goal of building a collaborative body of knowledge to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of concussions. Included in the opening statement by Honorable Tim Murphy, Chairman of the Subcommittee: “Today, we begin a new chapter in the national dialogue on concussions. We are not here to re-litigate past actions, point fingers or cast blame. We are here to take a step back, to gain some perspective and to begin a conversation focused on solutions, not on problems.” And most importantly, “We are also here today to make one thing clear – this is not just a sports issue or a military issue. This is a public health issue…That is why we are here today – to ensure we are on the path, though it may be long, to providing the public the answers they deserve.”

The list of participants and webcast of the forum are available on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s website.

The next Community HealthChoices (CHC) Third Thursday webinar is coming up on Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 1:30 pm. Office of Long-Term Living’s (OLTL) Deputy Secretary Jennifer Burnett will offer an update on CHC, followed by information about the Commonwealth’s waiver documents. In addition, Virginia Brown will discuss the waiver authority Pennsylvania is pursuing to implement CHC. To participate in the webinar, please register online.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has released the long-awaited Request for Proposals (RFP) for Community HealthChoices (CHC). CHC is a new initiative that will provide managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) to older individuals, persons with physical disabilities, and physical health coverage to those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

The goals of CHC are to:

  • Enhance opportunities for community-based services;
  • Strengthen health care and LTSS delivery systems;
  • Allow for new innovations;
  • Promote the health, safety, and well-being of enrolled participants; and
  • Ensure transparency, accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency of the program.

The official release of the RFP is the first step in the procurement process for the selection of managed care organizations (MCOs). The Commonwealth plans to coordinate health and LTSS through MCOs. Participants will have a choice of two to five MCOs in each region. Responses to the RFP by the managed care organizations are due on Monday, May 2, 2016.

The Department of Human Services Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) announced they will be submitting a renewal of the OBRA waiver, which expires on June 30, 2016. This announcement/public notice will be published in the February 27 Pennsylvania Bulletin, which seeks public comments.

Written comments regarding the OBRA Waiver renewal should be sent to the Department of Human Services, Office of Long-Term Living, Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management, Attention: OBRA Renewal, PO Box 8025, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8025 or via email, using the comment forms that OLTL has provided. Please use OBRA Renewal as the subject line. The comment forms, as well as a side-by-side comparison of the current and revised language, and the renewal in its entirety (including the OBRA-specific HCBS Allowable Settings Transition Plan and the Community HealthChoices Transition Plan, which are contained in the main module), can be found on the “OLTL Waiver Amendment, Renewals and Accompanying HCBS Transition Plans” web page. The public comment period ends on Monday, March 28, 2016.

OLTL will offer two webinars for public input and discussion on March 9 and March 23, 2016. Please see the information below for further details on the scheduled webinars.

Title: OBRA Renewal
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Join WebEx meeting
Meeting number:  644 892 538
Meeting password:  OBRA##1
Join by phone
1-877-668-4493 Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada)
1-650-479-3208 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Access code: 644 892 538
Toll-free calling restrictions

Title: OBRA Renewal
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am
Join WebEx meeting
Meeting number:  640 051 990
Meeting password:  OBRA##2
Join by phone
1-877-668-4493 Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada)
1-650-479-3208 Call-in toll number (US/Canada)
Access code: 640 051 990
Toll-free calling restrictions