Another Health Center Bill Unanimously Approved By House
On Monday, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed
HB 1690 94-0 with amendment and emergency clause to:
- Remove the Open Meeting Act requirement of health center boards of directors
- Protect health centers' Medicaid prospective payment system (PPS) as set by federal law or an alternative payment methodology at least equal to PPS.
- Cause the legislation to be effective immediately upon the Governor’s signature instead of in November.
HB 1690 now heads to the Senate. OKPCA request bills SB 168 and HB 1071, which would allow health centers to provide substance use disorder services without going through the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (
ODMHSAS) certification, have also been passed by their chamber of origin.
Your advocacy has been essential to the success of these bills so far—thank you and keep it up!
American Rescue Plan Signed by President Biden
On Thursday, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, which includes funding for community health centers in addition to other core components such as $1,400 stimulus checks and an extension of unemployment benefits. Included in the bill is:
- $7.6 billion in flexible emergency COVID-19 funding for Community Health Centers;
- $800 million for the National Health Service Corps, $200 million for the Nurse Corps, and $330 million for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education programs, all of which support the health center workforce;
- $7.6 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand the public health workforce;
- $47.8 billion to HHS to implement a national testing strategy and contact tracing surveillance; and
- $7.5 billion in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for vaccine administration and distribution, to be dispersed to support state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments, community vaccination centers, and mobile vaccination units.
HHS Seeks Comments on Proposal to Delay Insulin and EpiPen Pricing Rule
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened a
five-day window ending Sunday, 3/14 to comment on whether the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) should further delay the effective date of regulation on insulin and EpiPen pricing at community health centers until July 22. The regulation, which stems from an executive order issued by then-President Trump last year, is otherwise scheduled to go into effect on March 22. The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has argued that the rule targeting insulin and EpiPens dispensed by community health centers under the 340B drug discount program would impose extensive administrative burdens and potentially lead to clinical complications for patients who could be compelled to change their insulin depending on quarterly 340B prices.
View and edit a template of comments to
submit to the Federal Register on the proposed rule.