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State
Rep. Mark Longietti |
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ATTENTION EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: Please consider publishing the following guest column by state Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer, on the OP-ED or Guest Column page of your newspaper for Sunday, April 27, which kicks-off National Cover the Uninsured Week. Thank you for your consideration.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Learning the ABCs for affordable health-care coverage
by state Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer
The ABCs is one of the first lessons we learn in life. During this National Cover the Uninsured Week, it's time for Pennsylvania to learn another set of ABCs.
In this case, ABC stands for Access to Basic Care -- a plan recently passed by the Pennsylvania House to ensure health insurance for hundreds of thousands of currently uninsured working people, help small businesses that are struggling to offer health insurance to their workers, and make health care accessible and affordable.
Most people without health insurance are often left with no choice but to go to the nearest emergency room for care. This not only jams up emergency rooms, it exacerbates uncompensated care costs that, in turn, drive up health-care costs for everyone. A recent report from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council showed that while Pennsylvania hospitals continue to show profits, the revenue they are losing to charity care is growing at a faster rate.
That is why we need PA ABC.
The House PA ABC plan would give hundreds of thousands of lower-income working people the chance to get affordable insurance for basic, preventive care. It would also include prescription drug coverage, behavioral health services and wellness care -- necessities to stay healthy.
PA ABC is also designed to provide small businesses that already offer health-care coverage with grant funding so that they can continue to provide benefits for their employees. It also would help businesses with fewer than 50 employees the opportunity to buy affordable insurance for their low-wage workers and use group purchasing to get coverage.
The House of Representatives in March voted for PA ABC. We decided this new set of ABCs is fundamental, and must become a reality in Pennsylvania. The issue is now before the Senate and it is my hope that they vote for PA ABC and get it on the books.
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