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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Eugene DePasquale |
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DePasquale brings awareness to the crisis of uninsured Pennsylvanians
YORK, April 29 – State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, joined state Health Secretary Dr. Calvin Johnson in York on Monday to help kick off National Cover the Uninsured Week and raise awareness of the growing epidemic of uninsured working adults in Pennsylvania.
National Cover the Uninsured Week is an effort to highlight the plight of the uninsured and raise support for common-sense proposals to help the millions of Americans who are without health coverage or access to affordable care. Currently, Pennsylvania has more than 700,000 uninsured adults, including more than 36,000 in York County.
DePasquale said the issue facing Pennsylvania, and most states across the country, is not necessarily access to health care, but the ability of residents to obtain affordable coverage for preventive care that would help curb the cost facing the state's entire health-care system.
"The uninsured throughout the country do have access to care because federal law prohibits hospitals and emergency rooms from denying anyone treatment," DePasquale said. "But more times than not, those who cannot afford health insurance do not get the preventive care they need, so they seek treatment when their health problems are far worse and much more expensive to treat, or they are forced to visit the emergency room for basic care. This drives up costs, placing a burden on hospitals and on businesses and people who do have health insurance.
"We need to develop a system that gives everyone access to affordable coverage so that we can reduce overall costs and allow hard-working adults to get the basic care they need. Dr. Johnson and I have talked about this many times. Basic, preventive care is the key to a healthy life."
During National Cover the Uninsured Week, many state House members, including DePasquale, are taking the opportunity to encourage members of the state Senate to pass a proposal the House passed earlier this year. DePasquale said the proposal, known as Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care, would take the next step in reforming Pennsylvania's ailing health-care system by providing access to affordable health-care coverage to hundreds of thousands uninsured adults statewide, including the nearly 3,000 uninsured York County adults currently on the state's adultBasic program waiting list.
He said 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 already are providing coverage to their employees would qualify for state grants to offset their costs.
"Small businesses are the leading employers in Pennsylvania. This plan would enable them to offer their employees health-care benefits," he said. "The bottom line is that this proposal is groundbreaking and comprehensive in its approach to reducing the skyrocketing costs of health care in Pennsylvania, all while addressing a significant need in our middle-class communities. I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to take this legislation up and send it to the governor's desk."
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