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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Joseph Brennan |
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Brennan, Pa. House pass groundbreaking health-care plan
HARRISBURG, March 18 – Rep. Joseph Brennan, D-Lehigh/Northampton, announced that the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has taken the next step in reforming Pennsylvania's ailing health-care system by passing the Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care initiative.
Brennan said the plan would provide access to health-care coverage to more than 270,000 uninsured adults statewide, including many uninsured adults currently on the state's adultBasic program waiting list.
"For too long, low-income, working Pennsylvanians have been denied access to affordable care," Brennan said. "This bill would help hundreds of thousands of hardworking citizens throughout the state get the care they need."
Brennan 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 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.
"This program simply makes sense," Brennan said. "Our current system doesn't allow for the uninsured to get the care they need. Meanwhile, hospitals and people who do have insurance pay the cost in the form of uncompensated care and increased premiums. This proposal will finally provide access to cost-effective care and reduced the burden of rising health-care costs for everyone."
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