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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Deberah Kula |
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Kula supports health-care proposal to cover uninsured in Pa.
Lawmaker says plan would offer access to basic care without hurting private market
HARRISBURG, March 12 – State Rep. Deberah Kula, D-Fayette/Westmoreland, said she is supporting a proposal offered this week by House Democrats that would take the next step in reforming Pennsylvania's ailing health-care system without hurting the private insurance market.
The plan, known as Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care, would provide access to health-care coverage to more than 270,000 uninsured adults statewide, including the nearly 4,600 uninsured Fayette and Westmoreland county adults currently on the state's adultBasic program waiting list.
"Over the last year, we have been successful in reforming Pennsylvania's health-care system through the expansion of CHIP and PACE and PACENET, as well as by reducing health-care acquired infections and allowing medical professionals to expand their scope of practice," Kula said. "But we have not acted on providing access to care for adults who simply cannot afford to visit a doctor and receive basic treatment. This plan will tackle this looming crisis and help thousands of people obtain basic health-care coverage."
Kula said PA ABC would build on the current adultBasic program, but add additional benefits, including prescription drug coverage, inpatient and outpatient behavioral services, preventive and wellness care, and chronic disease management.
"With nearly a half-million Pennsylvania adults currently without health insurance, PA ABC is a groundbreaking effort to give basic health-care coverage to working adults who are now left to fend for themselves," Kula said. "This program would not only offer access to care for the uninsured, but also lower the costs of health-care for everyone by reducing the burden of uncompensated which costs hospitals around $1.4 billion a year. This cost is not absorbed by hospitals alone – the tab is also picked up by people who are insured who pay more for their insurance premiums."
Kula said PA ABC would be available to many uninsured adults at no cost; others earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $42,400 for a family of four, would pay premiums of $40 or $50 a month, based on income. Uninsured adults earning between 200 percent and 300 percent of the poverty level could access ABC for about $311 a month. PA ABC also would help small employers offer insurance coverage to their employees. Eligible employers that want to provide health coverage but can't afford to would be able to buy coverage through the program. Small businesses that have been providing coverage to their employees would qualify for state grants to cover a portion of their health-care costs.
"PA ABC is a comprehensive approach to one of Pennsylvania's most important issues," Kula said. "It will take a significant bipartisan effort, but it is the right thing to do and the right time to do it. We have the opportunity to help thousands of uninsured Pennsylvanians receive the coverage they need."
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