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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. John Pallone |
  
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House passes Pallone's community-based health care bill
HARRISBURG, June 30 – The House has passed a bill (H.B. 2625) introduced by state Rep. John Pallone that would establish an Access to Community-based Care and Extended Safety-net Services program, or ACCESS, to help facilitate access to health care and address health-care issues for the uninsured and underinsured.
"This bill would empower county governments and county health departments, including public officials, health-care providers, community health activists and others, to create a partnership resulting in better access to health care," said Pallone, D-Westmoreland/Armstrong. "Improving access to health care is a major step in improving the quality of life for our uninsured and underinsured citizens."
House Bill 2625 would develop plans to assure low-income people and families have access to a continuum of health-care services on a county basis. It would also help counties and community-based health-care providers establish eligibility criteria for such programs.
The bill also would address prevention through the following:
· Outreach – identifying the uninsured who need care and helping them get the services they need.
· Chronic condition management – teaching people how to manage chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, sickle cell disease, HIV, hypertension and heart disease, to keep them healthy.
· Health and wellness education – providing information about smoking cessation, benefits of proper nutrition and exercise, proper prenatal care and the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.
· Alternative to hospital emergency rooms – informing and directing the uninsured to alternatives to emergency rooms such as clinics, community health centers and managed clinics.
Pallone noted that guiding the uninsured to alternatives other than expensive emergency rooms for medical care, and providing them with preventative care, could help to lower health-care costs for everyone.
House Bill 2625 now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
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