uninsured

Governor Ed Rendell, speaking February 4 to the joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, described his budget plan for the fiscal year that will begin July 1, 2009.  One of the items in his plan is a modest expansion of adultBasic, the state-subsidized health insurance plan for uninsured adults.

Currently that program serves around 45,000 individuals with 180,000 on the waiting list.  According to a PA Department of Insurance survey released January 29, nearly 900,000 working-age Pennsylvanians were without health insurance during the period September, 2007 through May, 2008.

Sunbury residents had their say December 29th at a speak-out session on health care.  The event was organized by the Obama-Biden Transition Project for the purpose of seeking citizen input on how to reform our health care system.

The Daily Item of Northumberland County reported on the meeting.

Pennsylvania women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer are eligible for free medical treatment under the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Healthy Woman Program.

To be eligible, women must meet the following criteria:  (a) be uninsured or without credible insurance; (b) be under age 65; (c) have annual household income less than 250 percent of the federal poverty line ($24,500 for a single-person household and just under $50,000 for a four-person household); and (d) receive screening, diagnostic, or consultative services from the Healthy Woman Program. 

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.