affordable health insurance

High Risk Pool Beginning to Take Shape

Submitted by Ted Zimmer on July 8, 2010 - 12:31pm
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One important reform included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) called for the creation of “high-risk health insurance pools” in each state.  High risk pools will provide eligible patients an affordable insurance option if they faced high costs or have been denied health insurance in the past because of their illness.  Thankfully, legislators realized the immediate need of so many Americans and required these pools to be up and running this year rather than making thousands of sick individuals wait until the insurance regulation changes in 2014 take shape.<

application/pdf iconPA High Risk Pool - Final.pdf

An important tool, healthcare.gov launches

Submitted by Ted Zimmer on July 6, 2010 - 2:47pm
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Whether they listened or not, over the last year Americans have heard about health care reform like never before.  There was a great deal of coverage in the media about the back and forth of the debate, but there wasn’t always substantive talk about what was in the bill and exactly what it would mean for consumers.

After this long, drawn-out dialogue I think that Americans are suffering from health reform fatigue.  Not surprisingly, the media too has moved on to new issues, unfortunately leaving many of the real questions people have unanswered.  

adultBasic Enrollment at 43,600, Waiting List Grows to Almost 385,000

Submitted by Chris Lilienthal on May 24, 2010 - 12:28pm
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Nearly 44,000 Pennsylvanians were enrolled in the state’s adultBasic health insurance program, while about 385,000 people are waiting for a slot to open, as of May 2010.

PHAN, with help from the Pennsylvania Health Law Project and the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, has put together the following maps showing enrollment and waiting list numbers by county. We have been updating these maps on a monthly basis to give you a snapshot of just how much of an impact adultBasic has on communities, large and small, across Pennsylvania

Senate Vote Sets Stage for Health Care Debate After Thanksgiving

Submitted by pahealth on November 24, 2009 - 12:17pm
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On Saturday, the U.S. Senate voted 60-39 to begin debate on health care reform legislation after the Thanksgiving holiday break. The vote came only a few days after an Associated Press poll found that a majority of Americans favor a public insurance plan.

U.S. House Passes Historic Health Care Reform Bill

Submitted by pahealth on November 9, 2009 - 1:56pm
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The U.S. House made history over the weekend by approving comprehensive health care reform.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act, passed in the House by a vote of 220-215 during a rare Saturday session, would provide quality affordable health insurance for all Pennsylvanians and all Americans, while reining in health care costs for families, businesses and government. It also will protect people with pre-existing medical conditions and prevent insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you become sick.

PA premiums soar as insurers face less competition

Submitted by pahealth on June 23, 2009 - 9:02am
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Opponents of a public health insurance option for people shopping for health insurance claim it would destroy the competition within the health insurance industry.

Paul Krugman, Nobel-winning economist, asks: "What competition?"

Writing in his blog at the New York Times, Krugman states:  "While the opponents of a private plan say that they’re trying to defend market competition, what they’re actually doing is defending lucrative local monopolies."

PA House readies adultBasic bill for passage

Submitted by pahealth on June 17, 2009 - 2:47pm
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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

Submitted by pahealth on June 10, 2009 - 8:59am
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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 Eachus plan.

State leaders stand together in support of health access

Submitted by pahealth on June 4, 2009 - 5:11pm
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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.

House Bill 1: Updating and expanding adultBasic health insurance

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application/pdf iconadultBasic Fact Sheet.pdf

Facts on the Crisis in PA’s Subsidized Health insurance Program for Low-Income Adults

What is adultBasic?

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