Gov. Corbett Offers No Solutions for Reviving adultBasic in Budget Address; Allocates Remaining Tobacco Settlement Money to General Fund

The Governor’s budget—as we expected—does not allocate any funding for adultBasic, which was allowed to expire (despite all of our best efforts) on Feb. 28^th. His budget also takes tobacco settlement money previously dedicated to adult health programs like adultBasic and shifts it to fund general budget items. There are serious questions about whether the Governor can do this without violating the original statute allocating tobacco settlement funds or if he has the authority to shift this money via an executive order. Read Auditor General Jack Wagner’s investigation in to this here.

In the report, Wagner calls on “the Governor and the General Assembly to take immediate action regarding adultBasic, and to hold public hearings about using tobacco settlement dollars as they were originally intended.” He stresses the need for public input into the Governor’s plans to shift this money permanently away from adultBasic and asks the public to consider—and push elected officials to consider the question: “Should tobacco settlement dollars be spent for health programs like adultBasic and tobacco cessation as intended, or should the monies go to balance the state budget?”

Also just breaking on this front is a class-action lawsuit, just filed today on behalf of three Pittsburgh-area residents who were among the 42,000 who lost their coverage last month. The lawsuit alleges that the state (Corbett and the legislature are named directly) violated both the constitution and state law failing to use tobacco settlement money to continue to fund the program as stipulated under the 2001 Pennsylvania Tobacco Settlement Act, which requires that the tobacco settlement monies be “used to make Pennsylvanians healthier and provide for the health of future generations of Pennsylvanians,” and specifically states that 30% of the proceeds be shared between adultBasic Insurance and Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities. Read more coverage about the lawsuit here and here. We’ll definitely post more about this as it develops… 

While there is no clear path for bring adultBasic back, we are committed to this fight and will keep working to push for real solutions that give hardworking Pennsylvanians a shot at getting and keeping affordable, quality health care. We’ll keep pushing for the Blues to step up, and continue meeting their legal, charitable obligations as “non-profit, tax-exempt” entities by funding adultBasic. Don’t forget that it would take just 2.6% of their massive $6 billion surplus to fund adultBasic for an entire year! There is no good moral or financial reason for them to cut their funding now, and they are the most obvious source to look to when searching for a funding stream that would keep the program alive until 2014, when the Affordable Care Act opens up new coverage options for all Pennsylvanians.

If you were one of the thousands of folks who lost their coverage, we want to connect you with resources to help get you the care you need. Contact the Consumer Health Coalition in Pittsburgh at 412-456-1877 if you live in Altoona or parts West, and contact the Pennsylvania Health Law Project toll-free at: 1-800-274-3258 if you live in the East.

Also, we need to hear from you! One of our most powerful weapons in this fight has been your stories—how you personally will be affected by the loss of adultBasic—we’ve shared them with the media, with legislators, with the Blues and with the Governor. If we want them to do the right thing, they need to hear from the real people whose lives and livelihoods are jeopardized by their inaction. Please, if you were on adultBasic and want to help us bring it back, email Athena or Erin to share your story. Be sure to include a little bit about yourself, how long you were on adultBasic and how it helped you get the care you need, and what you’re going to have to do now that it’s gone. Also include your address, email, and phone number so we can follow up.

We’ll be testifying at two upcoming House Democratic Policy hearings in Western PA on this—if you’d like to attend, email Erin for more details. Stay tuned for more as our fight to bring back adultBasic continues and please stay involved!!