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Authors Posts by Jim Sharp

Jim Sharp

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At this year’s Pennsylvania Psychological Association Award ceremony, the founder and CEO of RCPA member Network for Behavior Change Steve Kossor, MA, received the Distinguished Contributions to the Science and Practice of Psychology Award. This prestigious award recognizes the important work and contributions Kossor has made in nearly 40 years of service. Kossor is not only a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist in Pennsylvania, but he is also a critical member of the RCPA IBHS Steering Committee. His guidance and partnership have helped shape our strategies for ensuring the treatment of children with mental illnesses and behavioral disorders.

Kossor has authored several research studies as well as developed and authored The Kossor Scale for Treatment Outcome Measurement. Please join us at RCPA in congratulating him on his award and career achievements.

Image by BestGraphics_Com from Pixabay

Today, the House voted and passed HR 1 by a margin of 218–214, to advance the bill known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which now moves to the White House to Trump’s desk to be signed into law in time to beat a self-imposed July 4 deadline.

The final version cuts about $1 trillion from Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for low-income individuals and people with disabilities, and other health care programs. It reduces spending on anti-hunger programs, including SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as food stamps, by $185 billion.

The Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation all voted on party lines, with the exception of Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, who was one of only two Republicans to join all Democrats in voting against the measure. RCPA thanks Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick for meeting with RCPA last week and for voting against this bill. We are grateful for the Congressman’s support in protecting the most vulnerable populations that rely on Medicaid.

Main Points Relating to Medicaid Include
About 71 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, according to the government’s most recent data. According to a Congressional Budget Office report published this week, the changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in the current version would result in an increase of nearly 12 million more uninsured people by 2034. It is estimated that nearly 600,000 Pennsylvanians could lose Medicaid coverage.

Work Requirements
The bill outlines new work requirements for the popular entitlement program that provides government-sponsored health care for low-income Americans and people with disabilities. They require adults to work, volunteer, or study 80 hours a month to qualify for enrollment, unless they have an exception. The bill also requires parents of children over the age of 14 to work, as well as those receiving SNAP benefits.

Reporting Requirements
The bill also requires Medicaid recipients to prove their eligibility twice a year, instead of annually.

From our Partners at the National Council on Mental Wellbeing
The scale of the funding reductions and new administrative burdens is immense. But it is also important to recognize that some last-minute changes made to the bill in the past week provide an opening for further advocacy efforts that could potentially mitigate some of the impacts. Most relevant provisions of the bill will not take effect immediately, and in some cases, the effects will be phased in gradually over the course of several years. In addition, several provisions require agency rulemaking for full implementation, and there will likely be opportunities for you to engage through the notice and comment process.

RCPA will continue to review the final bill language and will follow up with a detailed analysis on the impacts of the bill; and through ongoing advocacy channels we will engage in with our national and state partners.

RCPA is excited to host a membership benefits webinar on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 10:00 am, as an opportunity for members to orient themselves with all that RCPA membership includes. This is not just for new and future members. For current members, there may be benefits associated with our membership that you may not be aware of, including targeted meetings and groups that occur throughout the year.

Registration is required; please register here to attend the webinar. Items we will review include the below and much more:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and RCPA lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2025 Legislative and Administrative priorities;
  • Preview RCPA divisional committee and subcommittee meetings and what they offer;
  • View the RCPA member-only website;
  • Review exclusive yearly educational and networking events; and
  • Understand the value of the National Association and ANCOR memberships included with RCPA membership.

Visit the RCPA member benefits web page for more information, or contact Tieanna Lloyd for benefit details.

Message from Rep. Dan Williams’s Office:

HARRISBURG, June 24 – Bipartisan legislation introduced by state Rep. Dan Williams, D-Chester, that would help Pennsylvanians take advantage of new federal Medicaid rules that give patients and clinicians more telehealth options for behavioral health services passed the PA House today with overwhelming support.

“The longstanding and outdated ‘four walls’ requirement has limited Medicaid reimbursement to services within the physical walls of a clinic,” said Williams. “This only creates barriers to care, particularly in rural areas and regions experiencing mental health workforce shortages.”

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave states the option to waive the requirement on Jan. 1. In response, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has submitted a State Plan Amendment to adopt this flexibility, which is currently awaiting federal approval.

House Bill 1590 would repeal state regulations that conflict with the new federal flexibility. Importantly, the bill would not change existing rules requiring in-person treatment hours for outpatient behavioral health clinics.

“Under this bill, Pennsylvania can fully implement the change, expanding access to behavioral health services and reducing care gaps for our vulnerable populations across the Commonwealth,” Williams said.

The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.


It is important to note that, at this time, OMHSAS is awaiting approval from CMS. To address the Federal Medicaid payment conditions in the Pennsylvania statute, there was a need for this legislation to permit services be covered under Medicaid, and HB 1590 would achieve this. It is also important to reiterate that this bill will not change outpatient behavioral health clinic rules requiring in-person treatment hours. The passage of this bill will address these conditions for outpatient clinics as well as the delivery of SUD services.

Both the CMS SPA approval and the legislation would be retroactive to January 1, 2025.

Until then, the completion of both the SPA and the legislation on 4 walls flexibilities will remain in place. RCPA is grateful to have partnered with OMHSAS, House legislators, and other stakeholder associations on the development of this bill. We will continue our efforts in getting the legislation to the Governor’s desk.

If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO and Director of Mental Health Services Jim Sharp.

OMHSAS is announcing the publication of OMHSAS-25-03 Administration of Psychotropic Medication to Individuals Over Objection in State Mental Hospitals, updating the procedures for determining when to administer psychotropic medications over objection in the State Mental Hospitals through the establishment of an additional appeals process.

OMHSAS-25-03 supersedes 99-85-10 Administration of Psychotropic Medication to Protesting Patients, meaning that 99-85-10 remains in effect, but OMHSAS-25-03 takes precedence over it.

**Importantly, 99-85-10 applies to both state mental hospitals and community providers, but OMHSAS-25-03 applies only to state mental hospitals.**

OMHSAS-25-03 and forms may be found at the links provided below:

 

Please submit any questions regarding this bulletin via email.

RCPA invites all members, non-members, and systems-wide behavioral health stakeholders to participate in the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition. These meetings serve to update the group on strategy, activities, and engagement opportunities. Members can participate via Teams; information on how to join can be found below.

The Coalition will be meeting on the following dates:

  • Monday, June 16, 2025
  • Monday, June 23, 2025
  • Monday, June 30, 2025
  • Monday, July 14, 2025

All meetings will be scheduled for 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm.

The coalition will be sending out legislative advocacy bulletins to General Assembly legislators and stakeholders weekly, and we encourage members to participate in these efforts of joint advocacy in protecting and preserving our mental health service delivery system.

If you would like to join the coalition or have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.


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RCPA is excited to host a membership benefits webinar on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 10:00 am, as an opportunity for members to orient themselves with all that RCPA membership includes. This is not just for new and future members. For current members, there may be benefits associated with our membership that you may not be aware of, including targeted meetings and groups that occur throughout the year.

Registration is required; please register here to attend the webinar. Items we will review include the below and much more:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and RCPA lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2025 Legislative and Administrative priorities;
  • Preview RCPA divisional committee and subcommittee meetings and what they offer;
  • View the RCPA member-only website;
  • Review exclusive yearly educational and networking events; and
  • Understand the value of the National Association and ANCOR memberships included with RCPA membership.

Visit the RCPA member benefits web page for more information, or contact Tieanna Lloyd for benefit details.

RCPA invites all members, non-members, and systems-wide behavioral health stakeholders to participate in the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition meeting on Monday, June 9, 2025, from 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm. This meeting will serve to update the group on strategy, activities, and engagement opportunities. Members can participate via Teams; information on how to join can be found below.

The coalition, which is open to all stakeholder groups, convened last week to lay out our primary vision, actions, and goals. The coalition will be sending out its first legislative advocacy bulletin to General Assembly legislators and stakeholders this week, and we encourage members to participate in these efforts of joint advocacy in protecting and preserving our mental health service delivery system.

This meeting will review and discuss the critical areas of funding for the 2025/26 budget, including county mental health, school-based services, psychiatric centers, and the Behavioral HealthChoices system, along with ongoing advocacy for the preservation of Federal Medicaid. The coalition listserv has been updated; if you would like to join the coalition or have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.


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