Legislation to crack down on predatory drug pricing practices clears state House and Senate Read more
“Over 140 pharmacies have closed in our Commonwealth since the beginning of the year,” said Dr. Mayank “Dr. Mak” Amin, the owner of Skippack Pharmacy. “While I stand here and celebrate our pharmacy’s 5th anniversary, we are also bleeding due to poor reimbursements and patient steering. Community pharmacies like Skippack Pharmacy vaccinated over 100,000 patients during the pandemic and provided critical supplies to those in need, but what will save community pharmacies like ours?" Read more
Benham urges state Senate vote on legislation to reform PBM practices Read more
HARRISBURG, June 26 – Majority House Health Committee Chair Dan Frankel hailed his panel’s approval Wednesday of bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing health care disparities in rural areas by providing grants for the payment of education debt of physicians, nurses and midwives. “When rural facilities cannot attract or retain health care professionals, they can’t keep their doors open, and patients have to travel increasing distances to get basic preventative or emergency care – that’s bad for outcomes, and it’s bad for this commonwealth,” said Frankel, who worked with Republican Health Chair Kathy Rapp to develop the bill ( H.B. 2382 ). “The foundation of our health care system is its workers, so that’s where any effort to support rural health institutions must begin.” The bill received unanimous approval by the committee. The panel also approved legislation introduced by Reps. Lisa Borowski and Paul Takac that would provide more oversight of mergers and other transactions that could threaten access to health services in the commonwealth. The bill ( H.B. 2344 ) would require health systems to file notice and documentation to the Office of the Attorney General before completing critical transactions and provide the Attorney General’s office with the tools needed to do their job of protecting the interests of health care consumers. “Health systems tend Read more
House Health Committee Voting Meeting Packet - June 26th, 2024 Read more
The Pennsylvania House on Wednesday passed a bill establishing a lifetime grant program for substance use recovery. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 12 – State Rep. Arvind Venkat’s bill that would require the creation of materials to circulate information about the ongoing opioid public health crisis passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with a bipartisan majority today. The legislation, H.B. 1783 , would require the state Department of Health to consult with the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to create a poster, to be displayed in public and private settings, which provides information about opioid overdose. The information would include: Signs of an opioid-related overdose. What to do if an opioid-related overdose occurs. Locating an agent to reverse opioid effects. Additional resources. “I’ve treated many patients in the throes of an opioid overdose as an emergency physician, and proactive measures to help stem the tide of this crisis are imperative,” Venkat, D-Allegheny, said. “I’m grateful to bipartisan House colleagues, especially Representative Jim Struzzi (R-Indiana), not only for their affirmative votes, but for their commitment to saving as many lives as possible with this legislation.” The legislation additionally would authorize the creation of a Lifetime Recovery from Substance Use Grant Program to assist in the development, expansion or improvement of recovery support services delivery in Pennsylvania. Spearheaded by state Reps. Jim Gregory, R-Blair/Huntingdon, and Read more
Legislation to reel in pharmacy benefit managers advances Read more
HARRISBURG, June 12 – State Rep. Arvind Venkat’s bills that would put a flexibility component in place for physician assistants and the supervising physicians they work with were voted out of the House Professional Licensure Committee unanimously today. The legislation ( H.Bs. 2294 and 2295 ) would amend the physician licensure acts in Pennsylvania and allow physician assistants to work with either classification of physician, a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Current law on the books mandates that physician assistants and supervising physicians must be licensed by the same state medicine board as the supervising physician. “These bills are commonsense measures that connect more doctors and physician assistants with the patients in need of their skills and expertise,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “As a physician-legislator, I’m committed to supporting my peers and helping to remove barriers to the highest quality of care.” The bills now head to the full House for consideration. Read more
Health Committee Voting Packet - June 12th, 2024 Read more
HARRISBURG, June 4 – State Rep. Arvind Venkat’s bill that would require health insurers to offer multiple payment options to in-network health care providers for payment for clinical services and disclose any associated fees with each method of payment passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with bipartisan support today. The legislation, H.B. 1867 , would eliminate electronic credit card reimbursements being the sole method of payment and allow health care providers to choose the payment option best suited to their needs. Electronic credit card reimbursements with mandatory fees would only be permitted if the in-network health care provider agrees to that arrangement. “Today, PA doctors, nurses and medical professionals alike are a step closer to receiving the full compensation they deserve for the high quality of care they provide every day,” Venkat, D-Allegheny, said. “I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their affirmative votes, both as a fellow legislator and as a practicing physician.” According to a ProPublica article , almost 60% of medical practices said they were compelled to pay fees for electronic payment at least some of the time. These fees can cost larger medical practices $1 million a year, and small clinics can lose as much as $100,000 due to the fees. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration. Read more
Health Committee Voting Packet - June 5th 2024 Read more
Pharmacy owners say PBM reform needed to lower drug prices, drive market competition Read more
HARRISBURG, May 22 – State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny, has introduced a bill that would establish timelines for Medical Assistance applications to be approved or renewed for eligible individuals transitioning to long-term care facilities and compensate those facilities for all services provided during the application processing period. Per H.B. 2320 , the state Department of Human Services and county assistance offices would not only need to meet said benchmarks, but long-term care facilities could receive part of the funds owed to them faster and request a status update on an application(s) that is pending. The department could also end reimbursement to those facilities if a person’s Medical Assistance request is denied and claw back any previous interim payments in such circumstances. “The goodwill of certain long-term care facilities to provide essential care and services to residents while their eligibility for Medical Assistance is determined must be a two-way street,” Venkat said. “These institutions themselves literally cannot afford to remain in perpetual limbo and face the real prospect of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars because of delays in Medical Assistance eligibility determinations. As a physician-legislator, I’m committed to keeping long-term facilities financially viable and capable of doing their great work every day.” Venkat has also introduced legislation (H.B. 1867 ) that would require health Read more
House Health Committee Voting Meeting Packet - May 21, 2024 Read more
HARRISBURG, May 15 – State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny, has introduced bills that would put a flexibility component in place for physician assistants and the supervising physicians they work with and prohibit banks or other financial institutions from charging clients a fee for a paper copy of a statement. The first two pieces of legislation ( House Bills 2294 and 2295 ) would amend the physician licensure acts in Pennsylvania and allow physician assistants to work with either classification of physician, a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Current law on the books mandates that physician assistants and supervising physicians must be licensed by the same state medicine board as the supervising physician. “Cutting all the red tape and connecting medical professionals with patients that need their skills and expertise to recover is one of the foundational tenets of health care and my work as a physician-legislator,” Venkat said. “Doctors want to help as many people as they can, and my bills help to break down the barriers to this mission.” Venkat’s additional legislation ( H.B. 2292 ) would ban entities from assessing an additional fee, as high as $5 monthly, to customers who request a print version of a statement from a given entity. The bill would also specify that any person or entity would still be allowed to create incentives for a consumer to select an alternative to a paper statement. Read more
Bipartisan bill would help local pharmacies stay in business Read more
HARRISBURG, May 6 – State Rep. Arvind Venkat’s bill that would require health insurers to offer multiple payment options to in-network health care providers for payment for clinical services and disclose any associated fees with each method of payment was unanimously adopted by the PA House Insurance Committee today. The legislation, H.B. 1867 , would eliminate electronic credit card reimbursements being the sole method of payment and allow health care providers to choose the payment option best suited to their needs. Electronic credit card reimbursements with mandatory fees would only be permitted if the in-network health care provider agrees to that arrangement. “Administrative fees associated with only having electronic credit cards as the means of payment unnecessarily drains agreed-upon reimbursements received by hard-working doctors, nurses and other health professionals who have dedicated their lives to safeguarding the health of our community,” Venkat, D-Allegheny, said. “Let’s get our health care providers the full compensation they deserve and continue to support them in all their efforts.” According to a ProPublica article , almost 60% of medical practices said they were compelled to pay fees for electronic payment at least some of the time. These fees can also cost larger medical practices $1 million a year, and small clinics can lose as much as $100,000 due to the fees. The legislation now moves to the full Read more
Legislation to cover remote blood-pressure monitors through Medicaid, CHIP Read more
When Dr. Lorraine Rosamilia left her job at a dermatology practice in State College, she said the non-compete she'd signed 17 years ago banned her from working within 30 miles of her former office. Read more
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