Health Center Bills Expected to Be Heard By Committees Next Week
OKPCA request bills HB 1071 and HB 1690 are expected to be heard by the House Public Health Committee next week after being rescheduled this week. HB 1071, sponsored by Rep. Boatman (R-Tulsa), would allow health centers to provide substance use disorder services without going through the ODMHSAS certification process. Click here for a one-page fact sheet on HB 1071. HB 1690, sponsored by Rep. Newton (R-Cherokee), would exempt health centers from complying with the Open Meeting Act. Click here for a one-page fact sheet on HB 1690.
Another OKPCA request bill, SB 168, sponsored by Sen. Brenda Stanley (R-Midwest City), may be heard by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee next week. The bill would add community health centers to the list of providers types exempt from receiving certification from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) in order to make it easier for health centers to provide medication assisted treatment services to patients with substance use disorders. Language supported by ODMHSAS would continue to require health centers to maintain a certification requirement for more advanced services such as inpatient care (Levels of Care 2.1 – 4 as described in the American Society of Addiction Medicine Criteria) that are not normally part of a health center’s scope of services. Click here for a one-page fact sheet on SB 168.
Oklahoma Health Care Association Awards Three Dental Managed Care Contracts
On Wednesday, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) announced the three dental health plans awarded managed care dental contracts for Medicaid: Dentaquest, Liberty Dental Plan of Oklahoma, Inc., and MCNA Dental.
The Oklahoma Dental Association, Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA), Oklahoma Osteopathic Association, Oklahoma Society of Anesthesiologists, and Oklahoma Chapter of the Academy of Pediatrics have filed a lawsuit in the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking an injunction to prevent the state from moving forward with a managed care plan for the state's Medicaid program. Read more.
Governor Stitt Signs Open Meeting Act Amendment Emergency Extension Bill
Last Wednesday, Governor Stitt signed SB 1031, which reinstates temporary amendments to the Open Meeting Act to allow public bodies to hold fully virtual meetings. Community health center boards are currently considered public bodies for the purpose of Oklahoma's Open Meeting Act. The bill permits fully virtual meetings until Feb. 15, 2022, or until 30 days after the governor's COVID-19 state of emergency ends, whichever comes first. It requires that any documents or other materials provided to members of the public body or shared electronically between members of the public body during a meeting are made immediately available on the organization's website. It specifies that public notices including an option for videoconferences may not later modify the method of meeting described in the notice. It also requires that a code or password be included in the public notice if a code or password is required to access the videoconference meeting. Read the bill.
Health Centers with 500+ employees Could Be Eligible for Paycheck Protection Programs Loans under the House COVID-19 Rescue Bill
The House Small Business Committee voted to extend eligibility for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans to non-profits that have more than 500 employees in total, as long as they have less than 500 employees at each physical site. To date, these “over-500” health centers have been ineligible for PPP loans because of their size.
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Funding from American Rescue Plan/ Reconciliation Bill Would Likely Arrive in Early April
If the final reconciliation bill is passed by its target date of March 14, when the current Pandemic Unemployment Assistance ends, funds could be received by health centers by early April. Leadership at the Bureau of Primary Health Care has stated that they intend to make awards prior to requiring health centers submit applications and would need at least three weeks after the bill's passage to issue awards. Many factors could interfere with this estimate. For example, the bill could be signed later, or the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) could delay BPHCA's award issuance.