The two had definite disagreements on the issues of education and healthcare.  As majority leader, Pileggi had firmly opposed Rendell’s PA ABC plan that made it through the House and remained stalled in the Senate. 

The Delaware County Daily Times reported that there are currently 767,000 Pennsylvanians lacking health insurance, approximately 24,000 of whom live in Delaware County, according to the state Department of Health.

Pileggi pointed out that he opposed Rendell’s proposal because it is impossible to sustain funding for such a massive state program right now, especially with the state of the current economy.  He stated that after five years the funding would run out and the state would need $250 million in new taxes.  Pileggi noted his support for extending the MCARE fund, which helps doctors pay for expensive malpractice insurance.  That measure did not pass because the governor lumped it together with his health care package.

His opponent Linder disagreed, saying “Some kind of health care incentive from the state not only helps the people here, it can help bring people here.”  He pointed out that having some form of health insurance would prompt people to seek care before they are forced to go to the emergency room, which advocates say will help rive down health care costs for everyone in the long-run.

HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry today recognized Senate lawmakers for protecting the long-term best interest of the Commonwealth and all residents in the ongoing health-care debate.

“The need to address Pennsylvania’s health-care affordability and accessibility concerns has never been in question, and both the administration and lawmakers deserve credit for wanting to find effective solutions,” said Gene Barr, PA Chamber vice president of government and public affairs. “The debate centers on developing a plan that is affordable and sustainable for the long term.”

Barr said the latest plan supported by the administration would only be sustainable for the short term, and only then if federal funding sources are actually available.

“Legitimate questions exist about the state’s ability to cover the number of uninsured the administration claims would be covered under its plan,” Barr stressed. “Rather than give Pennsylvanians false hope by approving a new government health-care plan that will fail to achieve its intended goal due to a lack of funding – at a time when the Commonwealth alone could be facing a potential revenue shortfall of more than $1 billion at the end of the fiscal year – Senate lawmakers offered an effective compromise that would begin to reduce the number of uninsured.”

The Senate’s counter-proposal to PA ABC would have provided coverage to individuals on the existing AdultBasic waiting list.

Barr said the Senate’s fiscally responsible HealthNetPA, along with a number of viable health-care reform options that have been offered in the General Assembly, including access to affordable care and factors that continue to drive up costs, warrant consideration by the administration.

The Senate ended the 07-08 voting session yesterday, without a health care expansion compromise, without re-authorizing PA’s health care watch-dog agency PHC4, and with no agreement on MCARE abatement for state doctors.

On Tuesday, Rendell reduced his original state-subsidized health insurance proposal from 274,000 adults to 167,000, removing new tobacco taxes from the funding sources.  Rendell’s plan is a step up from adultBasic because it includes prescription drug and mental health coverage.  Senate R’s still would not agree to the cost, worried about a $2 billion deficit that’s expected by next year.  GOP Leadership contended that sustainability wasn’t there since the federal dollars Rendell is relying upon could dry up, and other funds weren’t promised for more than a few years.

In response, the Senate GOP extended an offer to give $50 milllion dollars to the adultbasic fund, adding 14,000 people to the exsiting program.  The Administration would not accept the drastically scaled back compromise offer, since there are 118,000 people currently on the adultBasic waiting list.  Because the Republicans plan only expands adultBasic (i.e. no prescription drug or mental health services) it does not qualify to recieve federal funding, which an Administration spokeswoman called “foolish.”

With their inability to compromise on a plan, the state’s uninsured citizens lost out on any type of expansion for state subsidized health insurance this year.

In the last few weeks, Republicans passed bills to use $30 million to fund free community clinics and to allow young-adults to stay on their parents insurance plan until the age of 30. If these measures make it through the House in November they will be the only enacted measures this session to expand health care access for the uninsured.

Read more about these issues in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, Patriot-News, and a story from the Associated Press.

**HealthPointPA readers: how do you feel about the non-agreement on healthcare reform? What do you think should have been done?  Leave your comments/thoughts below.**

Senate Republicans maintain that with the economic downturn even Rendell’s “scaled-back” plan at $2.6 billion in five years is a pricetag that the state cannot afford right now.  Advocates for the uninsured argue back that with more people losing their jobs now more than ever is this expansion of health insurance needed.

In Rendell’s scale-back he removed the need for new or higher tobacco taxes, lowered the number of residents who would be insured, limited the benefits they would initially recieve to prescriptions and behaviorial health services.  The new proposal also includes $2.43 billion in state funds to help doctors who pay over 500,000 annually in malpractice insurance.

Although Republicans still question the affordability of Rendell’s plan, Senate Public Health and Welfare Chairman Edwin Erickson, R-Delaware, says that he is not ruling out a last minute compromise with the Administration.

“We are still working,” Erickson said. “I remain one of the people optimistic on the issue.”

Rendell’s letter – sent yesterday to key Senate Republicans – outlined two new alternatives. Depending on the plan, the proposal would cost $723 million to $857 million by fiscal year 2012 – 2013.  The plan would insure about 250,000 adults in the state (20,000 less than PA ABC), without raising any type of taxes.  It also includes funding for free health clinics - a key component of the Senate R’s HealthNET PA proposal – and extends the MCARE fund for the next five years, another huge Republican priority.

Rendell stated in his letter that:  “Any reasonable person would recognize our consistent willingness to modify our plan. We remain resolute, however, in the goal of bringing some modest level of health care to at least a portion of the hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens who lack insurance.” Senate Republicans, however, are still wary that with the state of the current economy, even this scaled back plan is not affordable over the long term.

On the floor last week, two initiaves that would expand health insurance unanimously passed the Senate.  SB 1422, which establishes mini-COBRA for small employers, and SB 1453, which would allow children to stay on their parents health insurance plans until the age of 29 have been sunshined for the House Insurance Committee next week.  However, because the bills have not been listed on the House Voting Schedule, according to House rules they cannot reach a vote until Wednesday October 8th.  The only way the House could vote on these measures earlier is if they suspend the rules, which is unlikely.

HB 2028, which would extend the Healthcare Cost Containment Council (PHC4) has been set on the House calendar for Monday.  Non reauthorization of PHC4 has been used as leverage by both Republicans and Democrats in the negotiations over a health insurance plan.

SB 1453, establishing the Keystone Care Prescritpion Assistance Program and SB 1564 creating the Keystone Care Program made it out of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee last week and are both set for second consideration on the Senate Calendar.

A bill sponsored by Rep. John Bear (R- Lancaster), HB 2034, which would provide for long-term care patient access to pharmaceuticals was reported from the Senate Health and  Welfare Committee and now heads to Senate Appropriations for consideration.

The Associated Press reports that Rendell’s new proposal offers two different alternatives.  Although the final price-tag for either alternative is not yet available, Rendell eliminated using new tobacco taxes to fund the programs in an effort to appease Republicans who had staunchly opposed the tax increases needed to fund the previous PA ABC plan. 

Both of Rendell’s alternatives would be entirely supported by existing state revenue and federal money, and would provide state subsidized health insurance to 250,000 uninsured adults.  The prior PA ABC plan would have insured an additional 20,000 adults.

The plan also includes funding for Republican-backed state-wide free health clinics, and would continue the MCARE (a state program to help physicians pay for their malpractice insurance) abatement fund for five more years.  Even with these scale-backs, Republicans are still skeptical that our current state economy can support such a large expansion of state-subsidized health insurance right now.

“Who knows what could finally happen?”  Sen. Edwin Erickson, R-Delaware, Chairman of the Senate Health and Public Welfare Committee  ”I remain an optimist, but again, we need to have a program and a plan that’s sustainable.”

A sampling of some releases from the past few couple days, with relevant quotes:

Service Employees International Union’s PA State Council:

Pennsylvania SEIU, which represents thousands of healthcare workers, asked State Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi to act quickly to move SB 1137 and HB 2005, which would provide insurance to more than 275,000 Pennsylvanians who can’t afford coverage, crack down on insurance company abuses, and prevent insurers from denying care based on pre-existing conditions.

“We are facing the possibility of a recession, and the working families of Pennsylvania need protection if they lose their employer funded health care,” said Executive Director Eileen Connelly. “Right now, we already have 111,847 people on the waiting list for Adult Basic, and the system cannot hold more.”

Sen. Ted Erickson and Sen. Don White:

“Our HealthNET PA plan provides needed access to health care at a fraction of the cost of an expansive universal health care insurance program. HealthNET PA is sustainable and affordable in the short and long term. Many of the legislative ideas contained in HealthNET PA have strong bipartisan support. We must not delay action on this type of immediate relief while the broader debate on health care continues.”

And finally, the PA Health Access Network has issued a release calling for the support of healthcare plan Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care, and announces that it will hold an event outside of Sen. Pileggi’s district office in Chester:

“Every day two people in Pennsylvania die from lack of health insurance. In Pennsylvania there are over 750,000 individuals that do not have access to health insurance. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has sent to the Senate a bill (SB 1137) that will insure 275,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians and reduce health care costs for those who have health insurance now. The General Assembly’s SB 1137 would create a new program called Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care. It will allow uninsured individuals to find a medical home with a primary care physician. Currently Senator Pileggi is blocking SB 1137 and will not bring it to the floor for a vote. As negotiations continue time is running out. If this piece of legislation fails to be brought to a vote 724 Pennsylvanian’s will die from lack of health insurance over the next year. There are only three voting days left in this Senate session, October 6th, 7th and 8th.

On Wednesday community organizations and key community leaders will hold an event outside of Senator Pileggi’s district office that will visualize the fact that if the Senate fails to act on this legislation hundreds of Pennsylvanian’s will die. Mock tombstones and a giant clock will be placed outside his office to visualize the severity of the situation.”

Gene Barr, vice of president of government relations for the Chamber wrote:

“Perhaps you missed the irony in declaring as the best health-care reform option a plan that relies on funding from higher cigarette taxes and a first-time tax on other tobacco products, while at the same time referencing Pennsylvania’s new smoking ban and the potential for higher tobacco taxes to prompt smokers to quit.”

He notes that while all parties involved in the healthcare debate want more affordable and accessible care, funding a huge, long-term government program with a declining revenue - such as tobacco taxes - is just “bad public policy.”

MEDIA ADVISORY

Taylor to host committee hearing on state health-care plan Thursday

HARRISBURG, Sept. 23 – State Rep. Rick Taylor, D-Montgomery, will host a state House

Majority Policy Committee public hearing from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Sept. 25 at the Ambler

Borough Hall, 122 East Butler Pike in Ambler to examine the Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care health-care plan.

Policy Committee Chairman Todd Eachus will be on-hand for the session, and Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario will provide testimony.

Also scheduled to testify are representatives from the Philadelphia Urban Coalition, a collective of urban Philadelphia hospitals; Community Volunteers in Medicine, a free clinic in West Chester; a representative of the Service Employees International Union; a representative from the Philadelphia Unemployment Project; and an uninsured constituent from Taylor’s legislative district.

Media coverage is invited. 

The Philadelphia Daily News, which calls for the approval of the Democrats’ PA ABC plan, is perfectly blunt when they speculate on which issues the Legislature will choose to act on: small, unpressing issues such as massage therapy regulations; or healthcare:

This hardly seems a choice at all, but judging from the Legislature’s past actions, it’s just as likely that it’ll tackle the nonessential stuff and let the clock run out on health care. Why?

Why give Gov. Rendell a political victory – health reform is one of his issues – when the legislators can stay mired in petty politics and ignore the crisis of their constituents? (Besides, what do they know about gaps in health-care coverage; they have a gold-plated plan that many of them can count on for life.)

Meanwhile, over at the Philadelphia Inquirer, the editors are in agreement with their fellow Philadelphia paper, saying “…this is no time for Harrisburg legislators to sit by while nearly 770,000 people in the state continue to go without health insurance. State lawmakers just back in session need to break their monthslong stalemate over expanding health care for the uninsured.” 

They too are in favor of PA ABC’s fast-acting plan, and say its 10-cent addition to the cigarette tax and levy on chewing tobacco and cigars would have no financial impact on many Pennsylvanians, and perhaps promote healthier lifestyles onto those who it would effect.  The Senate Republicans, they say, want a “go-slow approach” which falls ”far short of finding a means to provide the uninsured with access to a family doctor and prescription medicine.”

Uniontown’s Herald-Standard also reprinted the Inquirer’s opinion.

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Which healthcare plan do YOU favor, readers?  Let us know your comments!