Pennsylvania
New health care laws in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to take effect in 2024
From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
With a new year comes new laws that will soon take effect, and some of them may change health care rules, services, and delivery where you live.
Here are some laws that will take effect this month and early this year in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Pennsylvania
Donor breast milk
Health providers often recommend that babies born with serious medical conditions be fed with breast milk, for the health benefits and to avoid possible gastrointestinal issues related to formula.
But some mothers struggle to produce enough milk or aren’t able to breastfeed at all.
Under Pennsylvania’s new “Owen’s Law,” Medicaid health insurance will now pay for breast milk that is donated from other women and parents. The law will take effect around Jan. 20.
This milk is screened and pasteurized at designated milk banks across the country. Most of it is given to newborns in hospital neonatal intensive care units, and some is sold in outpatient settings, but can cost as much as $4 per ounce.
Medicaid coverage will apply when breast milk is deemed medically necessary for infants with or at risk of low birth weight, congenital heart disease, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, neonatal abstinence syndrome, renal failure, and other serious medical conditions.
Patient consent
Another law that’ll be in place later this month will require health providers to get both verbal and written consent from their patients to do a pelvic, rectal, or prostate examination before they are sedated or anesthetized.
The addition to the state’s Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Act requires explicit patient consent when these examinations occur for medical training or instruction purposes, but it does not apply in emergency situations when exams are necessary for providers to make a diagnosis and carry out treatment.
Hospital drug testing
Urine drug tests that are performed on patients in hospital emergency departments to diagnose a medical condition must soon include screening for xylazine and fentanyl.
Fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid, is involved in a majority of drug overdose deaths in Pennsylvania. Xylazine, known as “tranq,” is a non-opioid animal tranquilizer present in an increasing amount of street drug supplies and can cause skin sores and wounds.
When a patient tests positive, hospital staff must provide them with resource information and educational materials on the effects of these substances and the risks they pose when injected or ingested.
Tests that detect a certain amount of these substances must be reported to the state Department of Health, without patient identification information. According to the new law, which takes effect in February, the reporting is intended to gather more data on the presence and spread of xylazine and fentanyl throughout the Commonwealth.
🤠 G’day Thursday. Headlines. Pennsylvanians Pessimistic About Trump, Economy and State of Federal Government. PA’s Rainy Day Fund and 2026-27 Budget. U.S. Steel Workers Remain Divided Over Benefit of Nippon Steel Takeover. The Curse of the Rocky Statue 🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. Here and Now. Letters to Cleo…
Tomorrow’s front looks weaker with just a few showers early in the morning…
EVENING: Increasing clouds, summer-like. Temps near 80.
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy and warm. Low 68.
THURSDAY: Scattered showers between 6-10am. Clearing, windy and warm for the afternoon. High 88.
Wednesday felt a little more like summer as temperatures reach 85 degrees. The humidity still remains tolerable this evening as clouds increase from an approaching front.
The cold front arrives Thursday morning, leading to a broken line of scattered showers between 6-10am. Once the front clears, gusty winds between 20-30mph will develops with afternoon temperatures near 88 degrees. A little unusual for a post cold front!
The upcoming weekend will be dry with low humidity and lots of sunshine. It should be a great weekend to spend with Dad! We’ll keep you posted, but the next chance for rain will be another front next Monday.
– Meteorologist Eric Finkenbinder
Content on this page may include affiliate links. If you click and sign up/place a wager, we may receive compensation at no cost to you.
A bipartisan package of bills would eliminate certain online gambling deposit methods, limit promotions, and strengthen protections for self-excluded gamblers.
Pennsylvania iGaming operators pulled in a record $2.78 billion in revenue last year, but some lawmakers want more responsible gaming consumer protections. State Reps. Tarik Khan (D-Phila) and Jamie Flick (R-Lycoming/Union) have introduced bipartisan legislation to provide better safeguards for PA online gamblers. Their series of bills seeks to add more protections, such as reduced deposit periods and limits on iGaming marketing.
Restrictions on push notifications, text marketing, credit cards & more
Dubbed Protecting Public Health in Online Gambling, Flick’s and Khan’s legislation breaks down into the following three parts:
- Pennsylvania Online Consumer Protection Act – Would establish “reasonable limits” on the frequency of deposits into online gambling accounts. It would also limit text message solicitations and push notifications involving sportsbook and casino bonus codes, while protecting against youth-targeted gambling ads and expanding responsible gaming programs.
- Prohibiting Funding of Online Gambling – Seeks to prohibit credits from being used to fund accounts at PA online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites.
- Strengthening Self-Exclusion Protections – Would ban online gambling operators from sending promotions, advertisements, or bonuses (e.g., free spins) to gamblers who’ve self-excluded from Pennsylvania’s gambling market.
Protecting young people and problem gamblers
Khan, who’s been a certified nurse practitioner since 2011, views Pennsylvania’s growing online gambling habit as a potential health challenge.
“As a nurse practitioner, I believe we should address problem gambling the same way we address other public health challenges: with prevention, education, treatment and commonsense safeguards,” Khan stated via his website.
“Our bipartisan bill package will help protect young people, individuals and families while supporting responsible gaming.”
Flick is primarily concerned with the number of young Pennsylvanians who are being exposed to ads involving sports betting, poker, and online casino games for real money.
“Too many young people are being exposed to online gambling through constant advertising and unprecedented access from their phones and devices,” said Flick. “These bills are about putting reasonable safeguards in place, promoting responsible gaming and helping ensure that young people and families are protected from gambling-related harm.”
New Pennsylvania online casino revenue record
The amount of revenue that Pennsylvania gambling sites are raking in continues to increase year after year. The $2.78 billion iGaming revenue figure from 2025 was up 27.22% from the previous year, when PA online casinos netted $2.18 billion.
While the Keystone State doesn’t break its iGaming revenue numbers down by game type, we can reasonably assume that the bulk of it comes from real money online slots.
Sports betting also experienced a record year, hitting $602.5 million, up 17.97% from 2025. The vast majority of this amount came via online sports gambling.
While this revenue increase is good for some of the best online casinos and sportsbooks in the state, it can also spell potential underlying problems. Khan and Flick are seeking to reduce some issues through their bills.
Responsible gambling
Bettors must be 21 years or older and otherwise eligible to register and place wagers at online casinos. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please seek assistance from trained professionals such as the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-MY-RESET.
-
Wyoming4 minutes ago250 Portraits self-portrait exhibition now on display throughout downtown Jackson
-
Crypto11 minutes agoCrypto’s Courtside Takeover: Digital Assets in Pro Tennis
-
Finance14 minutes agoConsumer confidence plunges among younger adults
-
Fitness19 minutes agoKylie Minogue, 58, shares how she stays fit without a strict exercise routine – ‘I don’t really work out’
-
Movie Reviews29 minutes agoMovie Review: ‘Leviticus’ makes a demon out of desire in an auspicious debut for Adrian Chiarella – Sentinel Colorado
-
World41 minutes agoVideo: A Small Election Could Change British Politics
-
News44 minutes agoInside Trump’s Touring Exhibition of American Heroes
-
Politics49 minutes agoVideo: Erika Kirk’s Message for Women at Turning Point USA
