Rally for Health Care for the Uninsured as Legislature Reconvenes for Fa...( Tuesday September 16 1 PM Broa...),Health

Tuesday September 16 1 PM

Broad and Vine Sts.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A rally to support expansion of health care for the uninsured will take place on Tuesday, September 16 at Broad and Vine Street, sponsored by the SE PA Health Access Network. Uninsured persons and representatives of labor, social service, religious and health care fields will speak. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner Sam Gulino will also speak. Speakers will call for Senate action on health care legislation bottled up in the Senate for months. The rally will coincide with the return of the legislators from summer vacation.

In February 2007, Governor Rendell proposed a major reform of health care in Pennsylvania, including a center piece that would insure hundreds of thousands of the uninsured. "In 19 months not one additional citizen has received health coverage due to legislative action," said John Dodds, Director of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project. "But 2 people have died each day in PA due to a lack of insurance."

The State House passed a bill to enact a new insurance program Access to Basic Care (ABC) in February 2008, but the Republican Senate leadership has yet to bring the bill for a vote. Only 9 sessions days are currently scheduled before the Senate adjourns for the year. "71% of the uninsured work," says John Meyerson of UFCW Local 1776, part of the PHAN coalition, "and more and more employers are dropping insurance or raising employee contributions. This session we have the opportunity to make a real advance toward covering Pennsylvania's uninsured."

Governor Rendell and Senate Republican leadership are negotiating Senate action on the insurance package. PHAN is calling for expanded health insurance coverage for the uninsured that would include prescription drug coverage, while Senate Republicans have talked of expanding public clinics using volunteer Doctors.

Rally for Health Care for the Uninsured

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