Single Payer Universal Health Care for All Pennsylvanians

Pennsylvania is on the threshold of breaking newand add to this increased rates for participants under
ground because of her Single Payer Universal HealthPA ABC than they were paying under Adult Basic,
Care initiative, HB 1660 and SB 300, which, if passed,you can safely project that poorer Pennsylvanians will
will make health care available to every Pennsylvanian.be forced to lose health insurance coverage.
Health Care For All PA is taking this initiative to thePeople on the waiting list will potentially be withdrawing
next level, which I will explain shortly.their names.
Meanwhile, the press ignores these Bills.The Governor is not telling us the truth: that at the very
Meanwhile, the HighMark/Independent Blue Cross (IBX)least, PA ABC is under funded and enrollment ends
merger is building its case.when the money is spent.
Meanwhile, Governor Rendell plans to pass PA ABCYet Rendell continues to assert that PA ABC will
which will cover only 200,000 Pennsylvanians, out ofcover everyone.
the 1.4 million who currently have no health insurance atAdditionally, PA ABC will also reinstate the State
all.subsidy for malpractice insurance which the Governor
This will make a bad situation much, much worse herehad withdrawn previously, in the attempt to gain
in the Commonwealth.support for PA ABC.
But no matter how media and corporate monopoliesMalpractice would only be reinstated, however, for
ignore the inevitable, we are heading toward Singlethose physicians who add the PA ABC patients as
Payer one way or the other.enrollees, with payout at low Medicaid-like fees.
Single Payer is publically funded while the Blues areHealth Care 4 All PA needs to empower those
privately funded.legislatures who resist this ploy by helping them to see
The insurance companies compete against the forthat resisting this makes moral sense.
profit powers represented by Aetna and United and all(Thanks to Jerry Policoff for making available the
the rest while Single Payer is designed for the publicabove statistics on Adult Basic and PA ABC. Jerry will
good.be writing a more comprehendsive article on this very
One enriches shareholders and an elite few while thetopic in the days to come).
other is designed to provide quality, affordable healthGovernor Rendell is on record as saying he will sign
care for everyone here in Pennsylvania.HB 1660 if it comes across his desk.
The IBX/Highmark merger has prompted concernOur grassroots efforts have many dimensions. We
among critics about competition in the insurancesee the corruption of the insurance companies and we
market and clout the new company would wield insee the politicians who pander to them.
setting reimbursement rates for hospitals and doctors,But to date, we have 43 sponsors for HB 1660 and
an article in Pittsburgh's "Business Times", May 26,SB 300 in the State House and Senate.
2008 states.Our growing grassroots movement needs to become
The consolidation of IBX and Highmark is the largestaggressively disciplined and organized to fight the
insurance company deal ever proposed within anyforces of ignorance here in Pennsylvania.
state and will create a $22 billion dollar company.So we have taken it to the next level which is: Gaining
Our grassroots group, Health Care 4 All PA, supportssupport for an economic impact study to outline
Single Payer because it's the best way to fulfill ourexactly how much Universal Access to health care will
mission: to bring quality, affordable health care to allcost in the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvanians.We need the economic impact study because our
We've decided to protest the merger because it runsgroup is not a legislative body.
counter to our mission.The study does not guarantee passage, but makes
Governor Rendell has cut a deal with Highmark andthe case for passage.
IBX to help them get the merger approved in returnKeep in mind that Rendell's PA ABC did not have an
for their help, financial and otherwise, in passing PAeconomic impact study.
ABC.Sounds like it could have used one.
PA ABC replaces Adult Basic which provides healthThe Casino and Gaming initiatives had no economic
insurance to approximately 55,000 poorimpact study.
Pennsylvanians.The bar is set higher for us.
Approximately 95,000 are on the waiting list and theseWe've hit every standard and crossed it.
plus 120,000 others would in theory gain access to PAWe will not back down.
ABC.We will get the money for the economic impact study
However, because there is a 4% annual increase byin the Autumn of this year.
the health insurance companies after the second year,