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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State Rep. Vince Biancucci |
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Biancucci urging expanded access to affordable health care
HARRISBURG, March 12 – State Rep. Vince Biancucci said the state House this week is working on legislation that would offer affordable health insurance to the 1,400 working Beaver County adults currently stuck on a waiting list for the state's adultBasic program, and eventually to more than 270,000 working adults statewide who are uninsured.
"Today we began debating a plan that would expand access to affordable health care to the hundreds of thousands of working Pennsylvanians, including many in Beaver County, who cannot afford or cannot access private health insurance," Biancucci explained.
The proposal, called Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care, would provide access to health coverage for uninsured adults who are not eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. It would also help small businesses provide health benefits to their employees.
Pa. ABC would take over coverage for current adultBasic enrollees and expand coverage to those on the waiting list. It would also improve coverage to include prescription drugs, behavioral health services, preventive care and chronic disease management.
ABC would be available at no cost up to a monthly premium of $50 for uninsured adults earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $42,400 for a family of four. Uninsured adults earning between 200 percent and 300 percent of the poverty level could access ABC for about $311 a month.
"Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care would also help small employers by allowing them to provide coverage to their workers through ABC, or, if they already provide coverage comparable to ABC, by giving them state grants to help them continue to cover their workers," Biancucci said.
Biancucci said the House may vote on the ABC proposal as soon as next week, and is urging quick consideration in the Senate.
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CONTACT: Mike Storm |