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Time running out on health-care bill
DelcoTimes
By Amy Brisson
October 8, 2008
HARRISBURG - With only one day left in the current legislative session, health-care reform proposals rapidly shuttled between Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell's office and the offices of Republican senators, led by state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, Tuesday.
In a letter sent Monday, Rendell urged Pileggi to approve a compromise health-care bill known as Model E.
The legislation scales back the governor's earlier proposals, passed by the House of Representatives as the Pennsylvania Access to Better Care Program (PA ABC). The five-year, $1.4 billion plan would have covered 272,589 uninsured Pennsylvanians.
There are an estimated 767,000 Pennsylvanians without access to health insurance, some 24,000 of whom live in Delaware County, according to the state Department of Health.
Pileggi publicly opposed the ABC program, citing concerns with the $1.4 billion funding formula. Funding for ABC would have come from a mix of federal Medicaid dollars, tobacco settlement funds and the state-run Medical Professional Liability Catastrophe Fund, or MCARE abatement.
Senate leaders proposed an alternative plan, called HealthNET PA, in June. HealthNET PA would have used already existing funding sources, but would have relied on services from a physician or health-care facility volunteer program, prompting concerns on the other side of the aisle.
The compromise Model E proposal reduces the enrollment numbers from PA ABC, creates no new taxes, and provides no coverage for small businesses, said Amy Kelchner, a spokeswoman for the governor's Office of Healthcare Reform.
It also proposes to phase out MCARE in five years, instead of 10, and removes coverage for emergency dental, vision and hearing.
The proposal also includes $42 million in the first year for HealthNET clinics, an item that was strongly pushed by state Sen. Ted Erickson, R-26, of Newtown, Kelchner said.
"After endless meetings between our staffs, it is time for you to act to extend the MCARE Abatement, reduce the number of uninsured people in our state and provide them with a fraction of the health-care benefits that you and your fellow caucus members enjoy at taxpayer expense," Rendell told Pileggi in Monday's letter.
In a response sent Tuesday, Pileggi, Erickson and state Sen. Don White, R-41, reminded the governor of the nation's ongoing economic crisis and a projected $2 billion state deficit.
"When confronted with these conflicting objectives, the responsibility to maintain existing services and ensure that any new programs are affordable in the short term and financially sustainable in the long term becomes paramount," they said, urging the governor to throw more support behind the HealthNET plan.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the governor's office had put forth another modified proposal, which would further limit the number of individuals enrolled, as long as the package includes basic prescription drug coverage and limited behavioral health benefits for all enrollees.
Kelchner said they were waiting for a response from Pileggi and the Senate.
Pileggi was on the Senate floor and not available for comment Tuesday.
His spokesman Erik Arneson said discussions are ongoing. No further information was a available at press time.
His opponent, Democrat John Linder, called for action on the healthcare bill before the end of this legislative session.
"If the Senate does not act by Wednesday, health-care reform will be delayed until 2009. And that means that the thousands of people in my district without health insurance will remain one illness away from physical and financial ruin. We owe it to our fellow citizens to do better, and we can do better," Linder said.