FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Dan Frankel D-Allegheny www.pahouse.com/Frankel

Frankel: Time for Pa. to implement health care law so help can be on the way

HARRISBURG, June 28 – State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, welcomed today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act and said it's time for Gov. Tom Corbett and the legislature to act so Pennsylvanians can benefit fully from the law.

"I’m delighted that the Supreme Court upheld the health care law. This will put an end to insurance industry practices that may have made sense from a business perspective, but failed as health policies," Frankel said.

"Now women know they won’t be charged more than men for the same insurance. People won’t face losing health care coverage when they get sick. And the estimated 20 to 69 percent of Pennsylvanians who would be considered to have pre-existing conditions can’t be denied health care when they need to buy it.

"This law creates important insurance reform, but it is also sound health care policy," Frankel said. "Many people will be able to access basic preventative care without any extra cost. Immunizations, some cancer screening, and well-woman visits for women under 65 will all be available without co-payments, or co-insurance, or deductibles. Women will no longer need to choose between an annual exam and food or gas.

"One of Corbett’s first actions as governor was to kick about 40,000 people off their adultBasic health insurance. As attorney general and governor, he participated in a lawsuit against health reform that has provided another 95,000 Pennsylvanians with insurance," Frankel said.

"I was pleased the governor said today that he 'will work to ensure Pennsylvanians have access to affordable and quality health care.' I hope that means the administration has stopped trying to prevent Pennsylvanians from having insurance, and instead will work toward making health insurance available and affordable for all.

"He can do that by implementing the Affordable Care Act at the state level, creating a health insurance exchange and adopting the revenue-neutral Medicaid expansion to cover 800,000 more people. It's time for quick and decisive implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Pennsylvania."

The White House (www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform) reports these effects of the Affordable Care Act in Pennsylvania:

• 2.36 million Pennsylvanians gained better preventive service coverage through their private health insurance plans.
• By Aug. 1, 575,551 Pennsylvania residents with private insurance coverage will benefit from rebates, averaging $165 per family, provided by their insurance company because the company spent too much of their premium dollars on administrative costs or CEO bonuses.   
• 91,000 young adults in Pennsylvania who would have been uninsured without the law were able to sign up for coverage on their parents’ plans.
• 247,686 Pennsylvanians with Medicare who hit the prescription drug "donut hole" coverage gap saved $3.7 billion on their prescription drugs, and preventive care -- including mammograms for women and wellness visits – are available at no charge for everyone on Medicare.
• As of April 2012, 5,355 previously uninsured residents of Pennsylvania who were locked out of the coverage system because of a pre-existing condition are now insured through a new pre-existing condition insurance plan that was created under the new health reform law.
• Insurance companies can’t drop your coverage because you got sick and made a mistake on your application. Nearly 16 million Americans who purchase insurance in the individual market are no longer at risk of losing their insurance.
• Insurance companies can no longer limit the amount of coverage you can receive in a lifetime.  Nearly 105 million privately insured Americans can now live with the security of knowing that their coverage will be there when they need it the most.

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