Pennsylvania Proposal To Extend Coverage For Uninsured Fails

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 13 Oct 2008 - 3:00 PST

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The Pennsylvania Legislature on Wednesday failed to reach a compromise on legislation that would have expanded health coverage to more than 118,000 adults on a waiting list for Pennsylvania's adultBasic insurance program, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The program provides health coverage for uninsured adults who do not qualify for Medicaid. Wednesday was the last working day for the current Legislature, and the state Senate is not scheduled to reconvene before the session ends in November. The AP/Inquirer reports that progress on passing a health care expansion bill "appeared unlikely before a new Legislature is sworn in in January" 2009.

While Gov. Ed Rendell (D) expressed disappointment that no agreement was reached, state Senate Republican leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Del.) said Rendell's latest attempt to reach a compromise did nothing to address concerns that a tax increase would be needed to fund the program expansion in the long term. Pileggi said that "it would be irresponsible for us to announce a new program when the state is now facing a two-to-three billion-dollar deficit in this year alone," he said (Raffaele, AP/Inquirer, 10/8).

The Rendell administration on Tuesday rejected what it said was a verbal offer from Senate Republicans to increase adultBasic funding by $50 million to expand coverage to about 14,000 people on the waiting list. Rendell had linked approval of a health care expansion with the reauthorization of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council and MCARE abatement program, which provides medical malpractice insurance subsidies for physicians. The PHC4 has been operating under an executive order since the program expired in July (Goldstein, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/9). Rendell on Wednesday said that he would have to determine whether he can extend authorization for PHC4 beyond Nov. 30, when the executive order expires (AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/9).

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