PathWays PA Policy Blog

via PA Cares for All PA CARES FOR ALL Coalition to Save General Assistance www.pacaresforall.org Elimination of General Assistance Delayed Until August 1 The PA Cares for All Coalition to Save General Assistance today announced that the elimination of the General Assistance program has been delayed one month, until August 1. Until today, all signs had pointed to its elimination on July 1, the first day of the new fiscal year. House Bill 1261, the Welfare Code bill that will be enacted over the weekend to implement the state’s 2012-13 budget, was amended today to eliminate the General Assistance program effective August 1. General Assistance is a safety net program of last resort for over 68,000 Pennsylvanians who are unable to work, providing them access to critical medical care and a small cash grant ($205 a month in most counties) with rigid restrictions. "On behalf of the hundreds of General Assistance recipients we represent every year, we are heartbroken at ...

Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act we thought we would remind you of the benefits of this bill. Below is a timeline of when aspects of the bill have or will go into effect : Already in effect: Individuals who were not been able to find coverage because of a pre-existing condition are eligible for subsidized coverage through a high-risk insurance program  Many insurance plans are prohibited from placing lifetime limits on medical coverage  Insurance companies can no longer cancel policies of people who become ill  Children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage  Dependent children can remain on their parents' health insurance plans until age 26  Senior citizens receive more help paying for drugs in Medicare  There is more oversight of premium increases  In 2014: State insurance marketplaces called “exchanges" will be created Individuals with pre-existing conditions will no longer be denied insu...

Below are some articles we found interesting about the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act. New York Time: What the Health Care Ruling Means for You   Washington Post: Health Care Decision: What Happens Now?   SCOTUSblog: Today’s Health-Care Decision: In Plain English  NPR: High Court Health Care Ruling Shifts Action To States   Washington Post: Health-Care Ruling Reactions from the Supreme Court Steps  USA Today: How Health Care Law Survived, and What's Next  To read all 193 pages of the opinion click here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-393c3a2.pdf .

From our friends at PA Cares for All  and The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania : Rep. Murt (R-Montgomery Co) has filed Amendment 12224 to the budget bill (SB 1466 PN 2261). This amendment will partially restore General Assistance, a last-resort program that provides a critical bridge to stability and self-sufficiency for 70,000 Pennsylvanians. Under the amendment, the General Assistance program will be reformed, saving Pennsylvania over $108 million per year by eliminating eligibility for Pennsylvanians whose disabilities are projected to last less than 12 months. It will preserve General Assistance for * domestic violence survivors (for 9 months in one's lifetime) * children being cared for by non-relatives * people with more serious disabilities and illnesses who are waiting for a decision on their SSI or SSDI application from the Social Security Administration * people who are actively enrolled in drug & alcohol treatment programs (for 9 mon...

Today the Supreme Court Announced their decision on the Affordable Care Act. The main issues being looked at included the individual mandate and the expansion of the eligibility for Medicaid. For a full explanation of the arguments, click here . Just moments ago the Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 to uphold the Affordable Care Act.  On the individual mandate the Court ruled that it was constitutional under the government's power to tax. The opinion declared: "Our precedent demonstrates that Congress had the power to impose the exaction in Section 5000A under the taxing power, and that Section 5000A need not be read to do more than impose a tax. This is sufficient to sustain it." As for the expansion of the eligibility of Medicaid, the Court held that it is constitutional but that the government cannot withhold Medicaid funds for non-compliance with the expansion requirements. Basically, the Constitution requires that states have a choice about whether to participate ...

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule tomorrow on the high profile legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act. After the court speaks, it will be our turn. This Thursday and Friday supporters of the health reform law will gather at events across Pennsylvania to say that no matter what the court decides Pennsylvanians want and deserve strong consumer protections and reforms to our health care. In Pennsylvania, the Affordable Care Act has allowed 91,000 young adults to remain on their parents’ health plans, saved seniors an average of $662 per person on prescription drug costs, and provided free preventive care to 1.5 million seniors on Medicare and to hundreds of thousands of people with private insurance. The law protects millions of Pennsylvanians from the worst insurance company abuses. Insurers can no longer deny you coverage for a necessary treatment, pull your coverage when you need it most, or put lifetime or annual limits on your benefits. Have your own story to te...

The latest state budget numbers were released earlier this afternoon .  This budget includes a spend number of $27.656 million, about $500,000 more than the Governor's budget earlier this year.  This budget may not be the final budget, but it gives some insight into where funding will go. The biggest news is the removal of the Human Services Block Grant, which had been under heavy scrutiny since its proposal by the Governor.  In February, Governor Corbett contended that creating a block grant would diminish the red tape counties face and provide them with savings as justification for his decision to cut 20% of the funding from the programs included. While the block grant has been removed, possibly in place of some new language around executive compensation , at least some of the budget cuts associated with the grant remain.   Several of the items covered under the grant, such as Mental Health Services and Homeless Assistance, have lower budgets than last year. U...