PAMED News

The Pennsylvania General Assembly met in session throughout most of April and the first week of May but is now out until coming back in June for the annual budget push. As expected, the legislative agenda thus far has been dominated by elections. The gubernatorial election will take place this November as will all 203 PA House seats and 25 of the 50 PA Senate seats.

The results of Pennsylvania’s May 19 primary election officially set the stage for several highly competitive congressional and statewide races heading into November 2026. While most incumbents in closely watched races successfully advanced through their primaries, the election solidified a number of matchups that are expected to draw significant national attention.

On April 30th, Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-IA) and Herb Conaway, MD (D-NJ) introduced the “Medicare Physician Data-driven Performance Payment System Act of 2026.” This bipartisan bill that makes key, targeted reforms to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) represents another cog in the AMA’s overarching, multi-pronged effort to improve the Medicare physician payment system.

Senate Bill 507, sponsored by Sen. Rosemary Brown, passed the Pennsylvania House on Wednesday, April 29, by a vote of 197-4 and now awaits Governor Josh Shapiro’s signature. The bill previously passed the Senate by a vote of 49-1.

The State Board of Pharmacy (Board) published a final-form rulemaking to expand the authority to administer injectable medications, biologicals and immunizations to individuals 18 years of age or older.

This week saw movement in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on legislation establishing a statutory requirement that all hospital emergency departments be staffed 24/7 by an onsite physician.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly returns to session at the end of January, with both the House and Senate meeting the week of January 26th. As we look ahead to the 2026 Pennsylvania legislative landscape it is clear it will be dominated by elections.

After a 135-day budget stalemate, Pennsylvania lawmakers and Governor Josh Shapiro struck a bipartisan deal on a $50.09 billion spending plan for FY 2025-26.

The Trump administration recently issued an Executive Order (EO) addressing state-level artificial intelligence (AI) laws.

Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the 2025-2026 Commonwealth Budget. Unfortunately, as part of a last-minute budget agreement, there was a transfer from the Joint Underwriting Association (JUA) to the Pennsylvania General Fund of $100 million.