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Pennsylvania Health Access Network: Still some concerns

Press release from Pennsylvania Health Access Network: Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced their approval of Governor Corbett’...

Press release from Pennsylvania Health Access Network:

Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced their approval of Governor Corbett’s Medicaid Expansion alternative, Healthy Pennsylvania. The final proposal is markedly different from the original plan submitted by Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare (DPW), with some of the most harmful elements like punitive lockout periods and tying premiums to a new, bureaucratic work search requirement removed.

Antoinette Kraus, Director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network made the following statement:

“Today’s agreement begins to dig Pennsylvania out of the hole Governor Corbett and lawmakers created when they rejected funding to expand health care coverage to half-a-million low-income Pennsylvanians. There never should have been a coverage gap in Pennsylvania, and we share the relief of hundreds of thousands of uninsured Pennsylvanians in knowing it’s finally on track to close.

However, serious concerns remain about the affordability of premiums and new bureaucratic hurdles under Healthy PA, and the drastic cuts Pennsylvania is seeking to make in our existing Medicaid program. If approved, these cuts will jeopardize the health of people with disabilities, pregnant women and seniors.

Unlike all of our neighboring states, which used new funding in the Affordable Care Act to cover low-income individuals and families right away, Pennsylvania took a detour to pursue the complex and controversial Healthy PA waiver. Delaying action on Medicaid Expansion has already cost the Commonwealth $4.8 million per day in federal funding since January 1st that could’ve been creating jobs and strengthening our rural and community hospitals.

While we applaud CMS for removing the most harmful aspects of Healthy PA, we still believe Medicaid Expansion would have been the best choice for Pennsylvania.

Advocates will remain vocal and vigilant to protect quality care and critically important benefits for low-income Pennsylvanians as this process moves forward. We look forward to working with State and Federal officials as negotiations over benefits continue and implementation of Healthy PA begins.”

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