2026 Pennsylvania State of Reform Health Policy Conference

More details to be announced soon.

This panel will discuss how Pennsylvania is implementing its Section 1115 Medicaid waiver. Speakers will explore the rollout of new Medicaid services focused on food as medicine, housing supports, and reentry services for justice-involved populations, highlighting implementation strategies, cross-sector partnerships, and early lessons learned across the Commonwealth.

This panel will examine how managed care is functioning within Pennsylvania’s physical health system. Speakers will assess whether current managed care arrangements are improving access to care, enhancing quality outcomes, and controlling costs for Medicaid beneficiaries, while also considering challenges such as provider participation, care coordination, administrative complexity, and regional variation in performance. The discussion will explore available data on physical health outcomes and system efficiency, and consider potential reforms or refinements to better align managed care incentives with patient needs and system sustainability. 

This panel will explore the growing role of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies across Pennsylvania’s healthcare system. Speakers will discuss how AI, digital health tools, telehealth, predictive analytics, and data-sharing innovations are transforming care delivery, improving operational efficiency, and expanding patient access, while also examining the challenges these technologies present around privacy, regulation, bias, workforce readiness, and patient safety. The conversation will focus on how Pennsylvania can responsibly harness innovation to improve healthcare outcomes while establishing safeguards that ensure transparency, equity, and public trust. 

This panel will discuss ongoing efforts to improve the quality, accessibility, and affordability of long-term care across Pennsylvania. Speakers will examine strategies to strengthen the long-term care workforce, expand home- and community-based services, improve coordination of care for older adults and individuals with disabilities, and address the rising costs facing families and providers. The conversation will also explore innovative policy and payment approaches that can help lower the cost of care while supporting sustainable, person-centered long-term care systems throughout the state. 

This panel will examine the impact of the 2025 federal Budget Reconciliation Act on Pennsylvania’s healthcare system. Speakers will discuss how changes to Medicaid, ACA marketplace coverage, hospital funding, and federal healthcare spending could affect coverage access, provider finances, rural healthcare systems, and state budget planning. The conversation will explore the potential consequences for patients, healthcare organizations, and vulnerable populations, while also highlighting how Pennsylvania can respond to evolving federal policy changes and protect access to affordable, high-quality care. 

This panel will explore how Pennsylvania is working to improve access to high-quality mental health and substance use disorder care at a time of significant federal restructuring and policy uncertainty. As federal policymakers consolidate behavioral health programs, states face both new opportunities for flexibility and real risks to funding stability, program focus, and service delivery. The discussion will highlight strategies to sustain access, strengthen coordination across state and county systems, and ensure that innovation and accountability remain central as Pennsylvania adapts to a rapidly shifting behavioral health policy landscape.

This panel will discuss ongoing efforts to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse within Pennsylvania’s healthcare system. Speakers will explore the tools and strategies being used to strengthen program integrity, including data analytics, enhanced claims monitoring, provider oversight, and interagency coordination. The discussion will also highlight how these efforts are being balanced with the need to maintain access to care, reduce administrative burden, and support providers in delivering high-quality services. Panelists will share lessons learned and examine how Pennsylvania can continue to protect taxpayer dollars while ensuring a fair, efficient, and patient-centered healthcare system.

This panel will examine the current state of Pennsylvania’s hospital systems, including ongoing challenges related to financial stability, staffing shortages, capacity constraints, and shifting payer dynamics. Speakers will discuss how hospitals are adapting to rising costs and changing care delivery demands, as well as the broader pressures affecting rural and safety-net facilities in particular. The conversation will also reflect on recent state intervention to support struggling hospital systems, including targeted financial assistance from the governor’s office, and consider what these actions signal about longer-term sustainability. Panelists will explore potential policy, payment, and operational reforms needed to stabilize hospitals and ensure continued access to high-quality care for communities across Pennsylvania.

This panel will examine the on-the-ground work being done to address the social determinants of health in Pennsylvania. Speakers will highlight how partnerships between healthcare systems, social service providers, housing organizations, food access programs, and other community-based entities are translating policy goals into measurable improvements in health and well-being. The discussion will focus on the practical challenges and successes of coordinating services across sectors, building trust within communities, and aligning funding and data systems to support whole-person care. Panelists will also share examples of partnerships that are already yielding results in improving health outcomes, reducing disparities, and strengthening community capacity.

This panel will discuss ongoing efforts to strengthen home-and community-based services (HCBS) across Pennsylvania’s healthcare system. Speakers will explore strategies to expand access to HCBS, improve service quality, and support individuals in remaining safely in their homes and communities rather than institutional settings. The discussion will highlight key challenges such as workforce shortages, service coordination, and sustainable financing, as well as innovative approaches to addressing them, including enhanced care models, improved payment structures, and stronger integration with medical and social supports.

This panel will bring together healthcare leaders, policymakers, providers, and community partners to discuss strategies for improving rural healthcare access and sustainability across Pennsylvania through the implementation of the Rural Health Transformation Program. Speakers will explore how the state is advancing regional care collaboratives, workforce development, telehealth expansion, and innovative care delivery models to strengthen rural hospitals, improve health outcomes, and ensure access to high-quality care in underserved communities.

This panel will explore how Pennsylvania’s healthcare ecosystem is leveraging data sharing, digital infrastructure, and emerging technologies to drive better outcomes, improve care coordination, and support whole-person care. Building on efforts across the Commonwealth to align data systems and strengthen cross-sector collaboration, speakers will discuss how these innovations are being used to improve population health, reduce disparities, and enhance system efficiency, while also addressing ongoing challenges related to interoperability, privacy, workforce readiness, and responsible use of technology.

More details to be announced soon.