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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Mark B. Cohen |
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Cohen requests inclusion on health exchange working group
HARRISBURG, Dec. 13 – The Pennsylvania Insurance Department recently announced it is taking steps to establish a state-run health insurance exchange and state Rep. Mark Cohen believes the House Human Services Committee should be included in a group working on the issue.
"People with intellectual disabilities and those with mental health and substance abuse problems could significantly benefit from changes included in the new health reform law, known as the Affordable Care Act, particularly the provision establishing minimum standards for health insurance policies that can be purchased by businesses and individuals through state-level exchanges," said Cohen, D-Phila.
In making its announcement, the Insurance Department reached out to leadership in the House and Senate, members of the House Insurance Committee, House Health Committee, Senate Banking & Insurance Committee, and Senate Public Health & Welfare Committee by inviting those members to work with the department on proposed health exchange legislation to preserve state jurisdiction and to set up what is best for Pennsylvania.
Cohen, who serves as Democratic chairman of the Human Services Committee, joined Republican Chairman Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks, in making a written request to state Insurance Commissioner Michael Consedine to be included on the panel.
"As you know, the House Human Services Committee has oversight responsibilities for a large number of the health care programs affected by provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on the purpose, functions and establishing the rules of the exchange. Those affected programs include mental health, developmental and intellectual disability programs, drug and alcohol programs, prevention programs and community health programs," the lawmakers wrote to Consedine.
"The federal health care reform law requires that states, in the development of their exchanges, consult with stakeholders. The law also provides that the state legislature retain the authority to make changes to requirements and mandates. But, most important to our request is the following from House Rule 45: 'To assist… in developing such… legislation as it may deem necessary, each standing committee or subcommittee of the House shall exercise continuous watchfulness of the execution by the administrative agencies concerned of any laws, the subject matter of which is within the jurisdiction of such committee …'
"In conclusion, for all of the above reasons, we are making this request to have the members of the House Human Services Committee included among the standing committees working with the department in drafting this very important legislation," they wrote.
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