June 15th, 2009

The Pennsylvania Healthcare Cost Containment Council, which was used heavily in budget negotiations last year, was finally renewed for the next five years in legislation signed last week by Gov. Rendell, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rendell says that the watchdog agency has saved nearly 50,000 lives and $1.7 billion by bringing about improvements in hospital care over the last 12 years.

Two other bills were passed to expand health insurance coverage for Pennsylvanians.  One measure signed into law allows young adult children to stay on their parents health insurance until the age of 30 if they are single, have no other insurance and no dependents.  The other law, dubbed mini-COBRA, allows employees that are laid off from workplaces with 2-19 employees to stay on their employer subsidized healthcare for 9 months after they are  laid off.  The employer must pay 65% of the premium and the former employee will be responsible for 35%.

The fourth measure was passed in effort to cut down on healthcare-acquired infections and preventable mistakes.  It makes it illegal for healthcare providers to seek payment from insurance companies or patients after a serious preventable mistake is made.