CPM Summer 2018 - 34

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

THE BUDGET
Gov. Tom Wolf approved the $32.7
billion state budget on June 22, 2018.
While much of the attention on this year's
budget centered around increased spending
for education and workforce development,
the final budget does affect health care as
well. Notably, a proposed three percent
tax on Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC)
Net Patient Revenue is not included in
the final bill. PAMED supported several
specialty societies and their efforts to
oppose the assessment.
The new budget includes funding for a wide
variety of health-care related items such as:

Opioid Use Disorder Treatment The
budget includes $4.5 million to provide
home-visiting services for families affected
by opioid use disorder, plus an additional
$800,000 in increased rates to home-visiting providers.
Lyme Disease Prevention and Awareness
$2.5 million will go toward implementing Lyme disease prevention, education,
awareness, and surveillance activities.
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
(PDMP) Funding The state will maintain
its funding for the PDMP, allocating more
than $3 million toward the program.

Community HealthChoices (CHC) Pennsylvania has budgeted more than $662,000
toward CHC, Pennsylvania's new long-term
care initiative. CHC is a managed care
program intended to increase opportunities
for older Pennsylvanians and individuals
with physical disabilities to remain in their
homes while receiving services.
Loan Forgiveness Money was once
again included for programs that forgives
loans for physicians choosing to practice
in a rural or underserved area of the
Commonwealth.

Stay up to date on PAMED's legislative priorities at

www.pamedsoc.org/Advocacy.

34 Summer 2018 Central PA Medicine
http://www.dauphincms.org http://www.pamedsoc.org/Advocacy
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CPM Summer 2018
