PITTSBURGH, March 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Health Dr. Calvin B. Johnson today met with health care professionals at the Alma Illery Medical Center, a facility that provides health care to uninsured or underinsured people in Pittsburgh, to discuss Governor Edward G. Rendell's plan to provide expanded access to health insurance through his "Cover All Pennsylvanians" proposal.
"Access to affordable insurance is critical to help prevent disease, successfully manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma, and to reduce the burden that caring for the uninsured places on our health care system," said Dr. Johnson. "Cover All Pennsylvanians is the bold step our state needs to improve access and affordability of health care for every citizen."
Currently, more than 108,000 adults and 6,500 children do not have health insurance in Allegheny County.
Governor Rendell's plan to "Cover All Pennsylvanians" would give uninsured individuals -- and small businesses that currently do not offer insurance -- the chance to buy affordable, basic insurance in the private market that will cover physical and behavioral health care and prescriptions. Currently, 767,000 adults are uninsured in Pennsylvania.
Secretary Johnson is wrapping up a four-day tour that includes visits to communities in Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Erie, Warren, Lawrence, Westmoreland, Mercer, Cambria, and Allegheny counties.
"Our citizens are Pennsylvania's greatest resource and keeping them healthy must be a priority. I'm here today to engage our health care partners and ask them to join the fight to get the Governor's plan approved by the General Assembly," said Dr. Johnson. "Everyone must get involved now to make a health care system that is accessible and affordable for all Pennsylvanians."
Under the Governor's proposal, Cover All Pennsylvanians will be paid for with a combination of funds from different sources, including a 10 cent increase in the cigarette tax, Pennsylvania's first ever smokeless tobacco tax, and surplus funds from the Mcare abatement program. The Mcare abatement fund is used to reduce doctors' out-of-pocket costs for medical malpractice coverage. The account has a surplus because of the improving medical malpractice climate in the state.
The cost of paying for care for the uninsured is $1.4 billion a year. About $400 million of that cost is directly paid by the state to hospitals to cover uncompensated care for the uninsured. The remaining amount is paid by the businesses and individuals who already purchase health insurance coverage, as about 6.5 percent of every premium dollar paid goes to cover the cost of the uninsured.
For more information on the Governor's Prescription for Pennsylvania, go to http://www.rxforpa.com.
CONTACT: Stacy Kriedeman
(717) 787-1783
'/>"/>
| SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Health Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved |
Related medicine news :
1. AMERIGROUP Corporation to Present at the Lehman Brothers Global Healthcare Conference on March 20
2. Meetings Set in Southeast PA to Help State Retirees Choose Best Plan to Continue Health Care Benefits
3. Tourette Syndrome Association Celebrates the House Passage of LONG-AWAITED Mental Health Parity Legislation
4. Gallup, Healthways Announce Global Well-Being Index(SM)
5. GlaxoSmithKline Awards Eight Area Healthcare Nonprofits with $40,000 Each in Funding
6. VVA Calls for $5 Billion More for Health Care and Better Outreach
7. Hospira to Present at the Bear Stearns 10th Annual London Healthcare Conference on March 13
8. Albertsons Officially Launches Healthy Eaters(TM) Field Trip Program
9. Three Hospitals in Singapore Join Companion Global Healthcare Network
10. Genoptix Announces Participation at Cowen and Company 28th Annual Health Care Conference
11. SXC Health Solutions Announces 2007 Fourth Quarter and Year-end Financial Results
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |