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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Mike Carroll |
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To: Editor, Community Express
From: State Rep. Mike Carroll, D-Luzerne/Monroe
RE: Possible uses of MCARE for residents
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Less than 10 years ago, we faced a medical crisis; the high cost of malpractice insurance was forcing health-care providers to leave the Commonwealth. Thanks to the state’s MCARE abatement fund, the initial urgency of that crisis has passed. It’s time to turn our attention to a different crisis affecting more working Pennsylvania families every day: lack of sufficient health insurance.
Unfortunately, 767,000 adults in Pennsylvania are without health insurance. The vast majority of them are hard workers with jobs where they are much more likely to sustain injuries. Most work full time, and many for small businesses.
These businesses and their employees are feeling the pressure of inflation that’s rising faster than they can afford, raising premiums while reducing coverage. The sad reality is that most families are choosing between paying for health insurance and feeding their families, and health-care coverage takes a back seat because small businesses are finding it hard to cope with their other increased costs. That’s why I support an in-depth review of the governor’s Cover All Pennsylvanians plan, an initiative that would provide access to affordable health-care coverage to every Commonwealth resident.
One of the proposals for funding CAP would use surplus funds in the state’s Health Care Provider Retention Account, which supplements the MCARE abatement program. The account is funded by the 25-cent-per-pack cigarette tax.
State law requires doctors and some other health-care providers to carry malpractice insurance coverage of $1 million per incident in order to be licensed. Doctors are responsible for the first $500,000 through contracting with private insurance companies. The second $500,000 of coverage for participating doctors and other providers comes through the state-administered MCARE Fund.
Because MCARE claim payouts last year were half of what they were in 2003 and should continue to decline, the surplus could be used to fund part of the CAP initiative. We would still be able to provide sufficient assistance to physicians, specialists and midwives while helping to provide working adults with adequate health-care coverage. This would help cut down on health-care costs for everyone, since uninsured visits to emergency rooms, because people can’t afford to see a doctor, are paid for through our tax dollars.
House Democrats have proposed a plan similar to the governor’s which we feel would better address the health-care issues our state is facing. I plan to work diligently with my colleagues to iron out the funding details and improve health-care access while supporting small businesses and maintaining provider quality.
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