HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Healthcare changes put forth by House Republicans have several state department heads questioning the future of healthcare here in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Department heads say the proposed replacement plan will hurt women and children and older Pennsylvanians on Medicaid. They don’t believe Pennsylvania will be able to make up for a federal funding shortfall.
“I don’t think the state has the capacity to replace all that funding and so the result is probably going to be the state putting rules to limit the number of people who get Medicaid, to limit their benefits, to make it harder for them to get on the program, and to make them wait to get on the program,” said Marc Stier, the Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.
According to Stier, for the Pennsylvania budget and policy center, Medicaid is currently entitlement, meaning if you're eligible, you can get the coverage, and the federal government has to cover.
The proposed replacement plan has the director concerned because he says the cap will limit how many people can be covered.
"What they want to do is have a per capita cap and that perc apita cap won’t take into account changes in the population, people who are sicker or people who are older on Medicaid - that increases our cost. We won’t get more funding from the federal government,” added Stier. “This is a disaster in the making. You know, adults who got health insurance through the Medicaid expansion or who buy it on the exchange, women and children who get it through traditional Medicaid, chip recipients will find that their benefits may be cut, we don’t even know how bad it’s going to be.”
The Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner also has a few questions about the Republican’s plan.
"I think one of the questions that I’ve had as I’ve been reviewing the proposal is I’m not exactly sure what the goal is or what we are trying to achieve," said Teresa Miller, the Insurance Commissioner for Pennsylvania.
When asked about who would benefit from the plan, the commissioner only mentions two groups.
"If you’re wealthier and healthier then you’re going to do well, and as long as you stay healthy, you may fare better because you’re buying a plan that has a lot less benefits potentially,” stated Miller.
During a conference call, the Insurance Commissioner, the Department of Health, and the Department of Human Services agreed, many lower income families will suffer from the proposed plan.
Senator Scott Perry weighed in and said, “The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is broken; it has increased the cost of health insurance for millions, caused many to lose their health insurance, and hurt the majority of hard working people trying to earn a living."
The Chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, Val Digiorgio, applauds the healthcare replacement plan saying, “I’m encouraged to see Congress taking proactive steps to shift power from Washington bureaucrats back to the states and the American people."
Many department heads say they still have to examine the plan further to see what the specific implications will be on Pennsylvania.