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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State Rep. Deberah Kula |
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Kula: Pa. House moves forward with groundbreaking health-care plan
House passes legislation that would give access to insurance to more than 270,000 Pennsylvanians
HARRISBURG, March 17 – State Rep. Deberah Kula, D-Fayette/Westmoreland, said the state House of Representatives has taken another step in reforming Pennsylvania's ailing health-care system by passing the Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care initiative.
Kula said the plan would provide access to health-care coverage for more than 270,000 uninsured adults statewide, including many uninsured adults currently on the state's adultBasic program waiting list.
"Nearly a quarter-million working Pennsylvanians are uninsured and have no access to health-care coverage they can afford," Kula said. "We have created health-care insurance programs for some of the Commonwealth's most vulnerable citizens – children, seniors and the disabled. It is time that we provide access to care for working people who simply cannot afford the high premiums of private insurance."
Kula said that 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 PA 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.
"Small businesses are the core of our communities and provide valuable employment to so many people," Kula said. "Through PA ABC, we will give our small businesses an avenue to provide coverage for their employees without breaking their own banks.
"PA ABC is a common-sense approach to a growing epidemic in Pennsylvania," she added. "The costs associated with the uninsured are growing each and every day, and that price tag is footed by the consumer through higher private insurance premiums. This initiative will save lives and save money, and I hope the Senate makes it a priority."
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