957,000 Pennsylvanians Would Gain Health Coverage Under HR 3200

Health reform legislation moving through the U.S. House of Representatives would reverse the continued and growing loss of health coverage by American families and would give millions of Americans the security of stable, quality, affordable coverage, according to a report released July 21 by the consumer health organization Families USA.

The report projects that 957,000 Pennsylvanians will gain health coverage under the legislation, which is known as HR 3200.

The House bill accomplishes this in several ways.

It stops insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing health conditions.
It offers substantial, sliding-scale subsidies so people can afford health coverage.
It limits the out-of-pocket costs families pay when a loved one gets sick.
It strengthens the safety net for our most economically vulnerable families.
It will lower health premiums for those people who currently have insurance. It will do this by reducing the so-called “hidden health tax” that gets tacked on to insurance premiums to pay for the care received by the uninsured – a hidden surcharge that averaged $1,017 for family coverage in 2008.

To read PHAN's media release related to the Families USA report, click on the attachment above.