Americans strongly support public insurance plan
pahealth 06/22/2009 - 1:06pm
Federal Legislation, Health Insurance, national health reform, public option

A government-administered health insurance plan - something like Medicare for those under 65 - is supported by 72 percent of the American people. 

This strong support is reported in the June 21 issue of the New York Times and is based on the latest New York Times/CBS poll.

PA House readies adultBasic bill for passage
pahealth 06/17/2009 - 2:47pm
adultBasic, affordable health insurance, PA Legislation, uninsured adults

Pennsylvania's "people's house" is getting ready to again send to the Senate legislation to help more of our state's one million uninsured, working-age adults buy affordable health insurance through adultBasic.

Houe members debated House Bill 1 for nearly five hours on June 12th, accepting a handful amendments while defeating at least a dozen more.  The votes on the defeated amendments were close and along party lines.

Time for physicians to speak up for uninsured
pahealth 06/10/2009 - 8:59am
affordable health insurance, PA Legislation, physicians, uninsured

On Wednesday, June 10th, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will debate House Bill 1, the plan sponsored by House Majority Leader Todd Eachus to expand the number of working-age Pennsylvanians who could purchase affordable, private health insurance through adultBasic.

In its June 10th edition, the Harrisburg Patriot-News published the following op-ed, authored by Berry Friesen, PHAN's public affairs manager, urging physicians to support the...

Video: State Leaders Support Health Access
pahealth 06/09/2009 - 3:37pm
health access, health reform, PA Legislation, unaffordable health insurance, uninsured

Leaders of prominent Pennsylvania organizations stood together June 2nd at the Capitol in support of pending legislation to improve access to health care in the state. Watch video clips from that event.

Holden, Altmire, Carney: public option "only a fallback"
pahealth 06/08/2009 - 12:56pm
Federal Legislation, health insurance industry, national health reform, public plan option

Pennsylvania congressmen Tim Holden, Jason Altmire, and Chris Carney have joined other Blue Dog Democrats in supporting the delay of a public health insurance option until it has been demonstrated that private insurance carriers have failed to meet "targets" for "adequate competition and cost containment."

The Blue Dog Coalition is comprised of moderate and conservative Democratic members of Congress. 

Patrick Murphy, the fourth Pennsylvania Blue Dog, has distanced...

State leaders stand together in support of health access
pahealth 06/04/2009 - 5:11pm
affordable health insurance, health access, health reform, PA Legislation, uninsured

Leaders of prominent Pennsylvania organizations stood together June 2nd at the Capitol in support of pending legislation to improve access to health care in the state.

Bishop Robert Driesen of the Upper Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bishop Jane Allen Middleton of the Central PA Conference of the United Methodist Church, Fran Viglietta of the PA Catholic Conference, and Jacqueline Rucker of Christian Churches United represented religious communities...

Lack of insurance contributes to death of Bill Koehler
pahealth 05/28/2009 - 10:27am
Bill Koehler, Health Insurance, Health Insurance, uninsured

Lack of health insurance contributes to the deaths of two Pennsylvanians each day.

This compelling statistic, based on the analysis of the highly credible Institute of Medicine, is made real by a May 27 article published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  It features the sad story of Bill Koehler, a 57-year-old man from Garfield.

PA Senate budget would cut children's health insurance
pahealth 05/27/2009 - 2:45pm
CHIP, Health Insurance, PA Legislation, Pennsylvania Senate

The budget plan passed by the Pennsylvania Senate in early May would mean 12,000 fewer children would be covered by health insurance in the 2009-10 fiscal year.

At a May 27th news conference, Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario described the impact of the Senate's plan to cut nearly $8 million from the amount proposed earlier this spring by Governor Ed Rendell for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Bill to expand adultBasic health insurance introduced
pahealth 05/22/2009 - 12:56pm
health access, Health Insurance, PA Legislation, uninsured

PA House Majority Leader Todd Eachus has introduced a bill to expand adultBasic, Pennsylvania's subsidized health insurance plan, to 130,000 working-age adults.

Currently, only 44,000 people are insured by adultBasic, the program started by Governor Tom Ridge in 2001 to help the uninsured buy coverage at an affordable rate.  Approximately 235,000 people are on the waiting list, which has been growing rapidly.  The Eachus bill would enable 86,000 individuals to move from...

Health crisis will worsen if Congress fails to act
pahealth 05/22/2009 - 11:59am
Federal Legislation, health care costs, national health reform, uninsured

By 2019, up to 66 million Americans could be uninsured and the costs of health care for businesses could double unless comprehensive health reform is enacted by Congress.

That is a key finding in a report, Health Reform: The Cost of Failure, released May 21 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

"As battered as our health system has been in recent years, unless we take action, the worst is far from over," said Riza Lavizzo-Mourey, M...

PHAN calls for public option in national health reform
pahealth 05/20/2009 - 11:26am
affordability, Federal Legislation, national health reform, public plan option

The Steering Committee of the Pennsylvania Health Advocacy Network (PHAN)has endorsed a public plan option as an essential part of national health reform.

Attached is a 1-page flyer describing why PHAN believes a strong public option is a necessary part of health reform

PA Senate budget plan would weaken health system
pahealth 05/18/2009 - 5:43pm
health care, PA Legislation, Pennsylvania Senate, Pennsylvania state budget

The budget plan passed by the Pennsylvania Senate in early May would make deep cuts in Pennsylvania's public health protections. 

COBRA relief for unemployed awaits action in Senate
pahealth 05/14/2009 - 4:31pm
continuation coverage, Health Insurance, mini-COBRA, PA Legislation

Slowly but surely, the Pennsylvania General Assembly appears to be moving legislation to help workers laid-off by small employers keep their health insurance.

When an employee is laid off, federal law requires employers to offer the opportunity for the employee to continue the employer-based health insurance s/he (and dependents) enjoyed before being laid off.  Under the stimulus bill passed by Congress earlier this year, federal subsidies will pay 65...

House to consider rate reform for small employers
pahealth 05/13/2009 - 2:44pm
Health Insurance, PA Legislation, small employers, small group market, uninsured

When it returns to Harrisburg in June, the PA House of Representatives plans to give top priorioty to a bill that would bring greater stability and predictability to the chaotic small group health insurance market.

Does Specter support a public health insurance option?
pahealth 05/13/2009 - 2:20pm
Arlen Specter, Federal Legislation, national health reform, public plan

In a May 8th letter to Health Care for America Now (HCAN), Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter conveyed his endorsement of HCAN's eight principles for national health care reform.

But the letter itself expressed reservations about two of those principles: a public health insurance plan and the use of the government's high-volume purchasing power to drive down the cost of prescription drugs.