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Corbett Passes on State-Run Health Insurance Exchange

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With too many unanswered questions about the cost and regulation, Governor Corbett has decided not to pursue a state-based health insurance exchange.  Insurance Commissioner Michael Consedine calls it the best decision under the circumstances.  “What we’ve been finding out, as we’ve been going through this process and learning more information, is that the level of control and autonomy and flexibility that we thought we would have in a state exchange may not be there,” Consedine explains. 

The grassroots group Americans for Prosperity has been working the phones to lobby the administration and legislature on this issue all year, and state director Jennifer Stefano calls it the right move for the taxpayers.  “You have no control… but by the way – hey taxpayers – along with the 21 other taxes in Obamacare, you’re now going to pay for it,” she says in explaining the grassroots group’s stance on the exchange. 

While the governor’s decision comes as a disappointment to the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, director Antoinette Kraus is focused on the positive.  “Even though Governor Corbett has decided not to move forward with the state-based exchange, folks will still be able to access health insurance on January 1st, 2014, and that’s a good thing for working families and small businesses here in Pennsylvania,” she tells Radio PA. 

Kraus was referring to the fact that the federal government will now assume the responsibility of running Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace, under the Affordable Care Act.  PA is one of 28 states to allow the feds to run its exchange.  These states will still be allowed to opt-in at a later date.

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State Senate Poised to Make Health Care Statement

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Roughly two years since its enactment, the US Supreme Court is weighing the constitutionality of the federal Affordable Care Act.  Also this week, the state Senate appears poised to weigh in on the issue. 

A proposed amendment to the state constitution reads that no person shall be required to obtain health insurance, and the state cannot penalize anyone who doesn’t have it.  “We have a responsibility as states to protect our rights as states to pass these laws,” says Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson), the bill’s prime sponsor.  “This is not a federal issue.”   

Scarnati says SB 10 would provide Pennsylvania citizens with an opportunity to speak out on “Obamacare” at the ballot box.  He believes the federal health care mandate is unconstitutional. 

A constitutional amendment must be approved by the General Assembly in two consecutive legislative sessions, then ratified by Pennsylvania voters.  The earliest SB 10 could make it on the ballot is 2013. 

SB 10 passed the Banking & Insurance Committee (9 – 5) earlier this month.  It cleared the Appropriations Committee (16 -10) late Monday.  The full Senate could cast votes as early as this week. 

When Radio PA caught up with Obama for America press secretary Ben LaBolt this week, he was confident that the high court will uphold the law’s constitutionality.  “What’s clear is that Americans don’t want to go back to allowing insurance companies to write their own rules.”

Lawmaker: One Ridiculous Bill Deserves Another

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The Women’s Right to Know Act would require Pennsylvania women seeking abortions to receive an ultrasound within 24-hours of the scheduled procedure.  It’s sparked a new health care debate at the state capitol.  Supporters say women deserve to be informed; critics call it a legislative overreach. 

Philadelphia Democrat Larry Farnese has added a new twist to conversation by introducing a bill he calls similarly invasive and unnecessary.  Senator Farnese’s bill deals with men seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction.  “Men who seek to have this medication will have to watch a video enumerating the side effects of ED medication, they’ll have to undergo a cardiac stress test, we’ll have to make them undergo a prostate exam,” Farnese says.  

Farnese says his point is that Republicans’ attack on women’s health care has to stop.  “Whether it’s ultrasounds or erectile dysfunction medication, I think that we should stay out of people’s lives.” 

Democrats seized on governor Tom Corbett’s comments about the ultrasound bill last week.  Here’s the entire exchange with WGAL-TV reporter Matt Belanger during the governor’s media availability:ultrasound

While Corbett’s ‘close your eyes’ reference received national media attention, we asked Sen. Farnese about the last portion of those comments.   Would it make any difference to him if provisions in the bill ensured a more traditional external ultrasound as opposed to a transvaginal procedure? 

“It’s absolutely positively unnecessary, at least in my opinion, whether it’s internal or external,” Farnese replied. 

House leaders tabled the ultrasound legislation (HB 1077) earlier this month, prior to both Corbett’s comments and Farnese’s bill.

Study Examines Rural Health Care Challenges

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A UnitedHealth Group / Harris Interactive survey, of 1,000 doctors and 2,000 consumers, finds that rural Americans tend to be older, poorer and sicker than their urban counterparts.  “They tend to be more reliant on programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and they have more chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease,” says Dr. Lew Sandy, senior vice president for clinical advancement at UnitedHealth Group. 

In addition to its health issues, rural America already has a problem with access to care.  “The resources available to care for rural Americans are really under significant strain now, and they’re going to be under more strain as [federal] health reform unfolds,” Dr. Sandy says.  The study finds that by 2019, there could be an increase of nearly 8-million rural Americans enrolled in Medicaid and state health insurance exchanges.  “Among the 300,000 primary care physicians in the US, only about 11% practice in the rural areas.”

Where will these patients turn for care?  With no clear answer, Dr. Sandy says now is the time to get started on modernizing the rural health care system.  That starts, he says, with recruiting and retaining rural physicians.  Dr. Sandy also believes that advancements in telemedicine are ripe for revolutionizing rural health care.  “With the advances in information technology that permit care being delivered over the Internet… we think these kinds of technologies can wipe out the barriers of time, space and distance that rural Americans face.”