More Pennsylvanians qualify for Medical Assistance

More Pennsylvanians - nearly 35,000 more - will qualify for free medical services this year through the Medical Asssistance Program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. 

The increase in enrollment is driven by the state's aging population and by growing unemployment. And it is creating severe budgetary problems for the state.  The current budget, adopted before the current economic crisis, called for spending $5.3 billion this year.  Now, with state revenue far below expectations, expenses related to Medical Assistance are rising.

As detailed in a December 29th article in the Scranton Times-Tribune, the Rendell Administration is implementing cost-containment measures this year to save $41 million.  One strategy involves making sure Medical Assistance enrollees get prescription drugs for chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma so they don't wind up in hospital emergency rooms.

According  to data reported by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, during 2005 just over 2 million Pennsylvanians were enrolled in Medical Assistance.  The largest number (950,000) were children and 230,000 were elderly.  Among working-age adults, 467,000 disabled individuals were enrolled as well as 356,000 other adults. 

For an individual to qualify for Medical Assistance, his/her income and assets can not exceed program limits and s/he must fit within a specified coverage group.  The coverage groups for working-age adults are (a) pregnant women; (b) parents of children who receive TANF cash assistance; (c) disabled; (d) women enrolled in the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program; and (e) the medically needy.  Medically needy individuals have limited incomes and have incurred high medical bills.

According to the Times-Tribune article, care for the elderly and disabled accounts for more than two-thirds of the cost of the Medical Assistance Program.