PathWays PA Policy Blog

The full PA Senate is moving quickly to pass work requirement bills that would place a serious burden on low-income Pennsylvanians. A vote could happen as early as Wednesday, October 17. HB 1659, which we discussed back in May , would expand work requirements on SNAP and cause nearly 100,000 people to lose access to food stamps. In most cases, people on SNAP must already work or participate in a training program if they are between the ages of 8-50, non-disabled, and not considered vulnerable individuals. HB 2138 would put new work requirements on the Medicaid program , which helps low-income Pennsylvanians access health insurance. "Able-bodied" adults (which includes people who lose their job or have reduced hours because they are in treatment or recovering from surgery) would have to work 20 hours per week, look for a job, or participate in job training to qualify for Medicaid. Take Action! Our friends at Project Home put together an action alert , including a...

Updated 7/12/17: This bill passed the House and may be voted on the Senate this week. Please contact your senators! Word is going out this morning that PA House Bill 59 , which would add new requirements to the state Medicaid program, may be headed towards a vote today. According to our friends at PHAN , this bill would: impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients lock-in managed care plans (making it hard for people to change plans to find the care they need) open the door to higher costs and premiums Medicaid exists to ensure individuals and families who can't afford insurance don't go without healthcare. Many of the people I know who use Medicaid do so because of serious health conditions such as cancer or congenital diseases .   The Atlantic points out that   " most people on Medicaid who can work do, and low-income people working demanding jobs often do so 'until their bodies gave out on them.'"  In fact, the article goes on to say ...

We published our first blog post on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on August 17, 2009 . Now, almost eight years later, the House of Representatives is set to vote on legislation that would repeal and replace the ACA with a new law - the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Here's what we know about the AHCA: It would make comprehensive changes to Medicaid : Additional money to states (such as Pennsylvania) that accepted Medicaid Expansion, which allows more people to get their insurance through Medicaid, would end. The entire funding mechanism for Medicaid would change, with states receiving a capped amount of funding regardless of how many people qualify for the program. Recent reports indicate that states may be able to impose a work requirement on "able-bodied individuals" applying for or using Medicaid. Under the AHCA, Medicaid could no longer be used at Planned Parenthood clinics. These clinics provide birth control, mammograms, and other types of reproductive care ...

From our friends at PHAN As more and more people benefit from the ACA across the country, some people are still falling through the cracks. In some states, individuals and families who earn too much for Medicaid but not enough to afford health insurance can take advantage of Medicaid Expansion. In Pennsylvania, Governor Corbett has chosen to propose a different health care model to the US government, and is waiting for their decision. Right now, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is reviewing Governor Corbett's proposed alternative "Healthy PA" plan. Under this plan, thousands of current Medicaid enrollees could see their coverage and access drastically reduced. The public comment period to have your voice heard on the Governor's "Healthy PA" plan ends April 10. Please tell CMS how you feel about "Healthy PA" . Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians are stuck in the a gap right now - earning to o much to qualify for Me...

From our friends at PHAN Join the Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN) for a call on Tuesday, March 18th at 6:00 PM for state updates on Medicaid expansion and the upcoming budget. The call will touch on recent updates regarding the push for Pennsylvania to expand Medicaid, but will really focus on the budget, plans to end existing Medicaid programs, navigat or bills and more. RSVP here: http://bit.ly/TNPCSstateupdates

Today is the last day to submit comments on Governor Corbett's plan to extend Medicaid to low-income workers, also known as Healthy PA. Project Home has set up a link to help individuals submit comments online . The Governor's proposal is available for your review on the state's website . The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center also has a summary of the bill . Please visit http://bit.ly/1115waiver to share your thoughts today. You can also submit your comments to the Department of Public Welfare via their website at http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/healthypa .

From our Friends at PHAN Health care reform gives Pennsylvania tens of billions in federal funds to expand Medicaid to low-income workers - but only if we accept the money. Every state that touches Pennsylvania - including Ohio and New Jersey have agreed to expand. Governor Corbett recently came out with a proposal that will help hundreds of thousands of people get access to health care. However, this proposal is long and complicated and could take over a year to implement. Ask him to expand in 2014! Sign the card to Governor Corbett with the message to expand Medicaid NOW .

On Wednesday, November 20th, Pennsylvania Health Access Network will be asking you to join in a statewide day of action urging Governor Corbett and your lawmakers to expand Medicaid coverage in 2014. Today, you can sign this petition and mark your calendar for Wednesday. All hardworking families deserve the security of knowing they can see a doctor when they get sick without facing enormous medical bills. If Pennsylvania fails to act on this federal opportunity, hundreds of thousands will be left out in the cold with no options for affordable coverage in 2014. You can let your legislators know that Pennsylvania cannot afford to turn down federal funding that states like New Jersey and Ohio will use to insure their citizens and give their health care economies a needed boost in 2014. As many as 400,000 Pennsylvanians will have no other affordable health care options if we do not act soon. These Pennsylvanians are our neighbors and friends. They take our orders at restaurants, f...

From our friends at PHAN and PUP. Join us this Thursday, September 26th 10:00 AM for an informative workshop. You'll learn about: New rights and protections for folks with private health insurance. New benefits for Medicare recipients and changes to Medicare Advantage What the new insurance marketplace is and how to sign up for coverage What Medicaid expansion could mean for Pennsylvania Latest updates from Harrisburg and DC PLUS there will be plenty of time for your questions PHAN is proud to be presenting at this workshop put together by our friends at the Philadelphia Unemployment Project. Join: Thursday, September 26th at 10:00 AM at the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO office, 22 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia. Looking forward to seeing you there! (For more information call the Philadelphia Unemployment Project at 215-557-0822)

News is coming out today about Governor Corbett's proposal to increase access to health care in Pennsylvania. We will bring you further analysis of the plan as it comes in, and we encourage those interested to join a call hosted by the Pennsylvania Health Access Network on September 24 to learn more. Here are the basics revealed by the Administration. The plan, titled Healthy Pennsylvania , is said to focus on : getting kids insured, promoting access to primary health care - particularly in rural and underserved areas of the state, and creating a coordinated long term care and support system for older Pennsylvanians and persons with disabilities. Healthy Pennsylvania includes common sense reforms to the Medicaid program and a pathway to increase access to health care for uninsured Pennsylvanians. These reforms include aligning benefits with national standards proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services, reasonable premiums, individual responsibility, work search an...

From our friends at PHAN: The Senate passed Medicaid Expansion (with huge bipartisan support, 40-10) in a code bill that accompanies our state budget, and sent the bill back to the House for final approval. Unfortunately, a small minority in the House stripped Medicaid Expansion back out, and blocked efforts to allow all members to vote on it. I want to be clear about 2 things: Most importantly, this is not a defeat. Just like the fight to pass health care reform -- which had many victories and defeats along the way -- it's a process. We will win. Take a minute to sign our thank you card to the 40 Senators who voted to advance Medicaid Expansion. And that brings me to the 2nd thing - you have a lot to be proud of. We are set up to win. A plan of attack is already being discussed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. That's because thousands of you went to rallies, made calls, sent emails, donated money, and showed your support in other ways. PHAN will continue to...

The House Rules Committee, chaired by House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) voted to remove language forcing Governor Tom Corbett to create a Medicaid expansion plan. It went down on a party-line vote. They also stopped a proposed name change in the same welfare code bill that would have switched the "Department of Public Welfare" to the "Department of Human Services." Now that expansion has been stricken from the Welfare code bill it will still need to go before the House and then back to the Senate for concurrence. It is possible that Senators could put the expansion language back in the bill, but with no known leverage to change the minds of the Republicans on the House Rules Committee, it is highly doubtful that they will continue to push for Medicaid expansion. Click here for updates and actions!

The Cover the Commonwealth Campaign, a coalition of over 100 organizations, will be holding a rally in Harrisburg at the Capitol on Wednesday at 1PM to highlight "Lives on the Line" in the fight for Medicaid Expansion. The rally will be a collection of stories of photos of everyday Pennsylvanians who would benefit from Medicaid expansion in PA. You can RSVP for the event here . You can also participate on social media sharing campaign photos on Facebook and tweets with the #LivesontheLine on Wednesday!

Tomorrow continues a week long call-in effort to ask the Governor and legislators to support Medicaid expansion in PA. We ask women in the health community to contact the Governor and their elected Representatives and to let them know we want them to support the Medicaid expansion in Pennsylvania. The Medicaid expansion would extend coverage to up to 200,000 uninsured Pennsylvania women, promoting the health and economic well-being of women and families in our state. Please also join us tomorrow from 3PM-7PM at Child Guidance Resource Center located at 2000 Old West Chester Pike in Havertown for a photo and call-in event for parents and children to have their voices heard.

The Cover the Commonwealth Campaign (CtC) is organizing a statewide week of action to get the Governor and legislature to move on accepting the Medicaid expansion. Next Wednesday, May 29th, will be a call-in day for the women's health community to contact the Governor and their elected Representatives to ask them to support the Medicaid expansion. We need to mobilize all of our networks to make this a success! Share our link on your social media pages encouraging your friends to make calls. Do you know someone who is uninsured? Ask them to share their story about why getting health insurance is so important to them. This link will lead you to a webpage where they can find your legislator and a script to make calls.

The health care law offers Pennsylvania $43 billion over the next ten years to expand health care coverage to 700,000 working people. Opponents of health care reform are spending big bucks to get lawmakers to leave that money on the table instead. Tell Harrisburg: Don't Leave the Money on the Table. Stand up for health care reform by joining an event in: Delaware County , Bucks County , Scranton , Lehigh Valley , State College , Erie , Philadelphia , or Pittsburgh and pledge to call your lawmakers on tomorrow.

Join the new Medicaid Coalition on February 12, 2013 at 1 PM as they ask Governor Corbett and the Legislature to Cover the Commonwealth! Under the Affordable Care Act, 700,000 hardworking Pennsylvanians will get health coverage next year -- unless state lawmakers turn down Medicaid Expansion. By refusing $43 billion that's already set aside for Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth will leave over a half million people uninsured and lose the opportunity to create thousands of jobs across the state.