AcademyHealth Stateside - 03/10/2005  (Plain Text Version)

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In this issue:
 Health Still a Priority for Governors in 2005
 Ask the Expert: ERISA’s Implications for State Health Care Access Initiatives
 Federal Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Proposal: Implications for Medicaid Reform
 National Health Access Program
 Insurers Help Coverage Program in Pennsylvania
 Enrique Martinez-Vidal Joins State Coverage Initiatives Team
 Coming Soon from SCI
 Reports of Interest


Insurers Help Coverage Program in Pennsylvania

 

In October 2004, St@teside reported that the waiting list for Pennyslvania’s adultBasic coverage program for low-income adults reached an all-time high. While 39,000 adults are currently enrolled in the program, there are also 100,000 individuals still waiting to enter the program.

Financed with the state’s portion of the national tobacco settlement fund, adultBasic is available to residents between the ages of 19 and 64 who have not had health care coverage, including Medicaid, for more than 90 days and who have incomes at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level. By paying a $30 monthly premium, beneficiaries have access to a benefit package that covers hospital care, doctor visits, and lab work. It does not cover prescription drugs.

On February 7, Governor Edward Rendell (D) signed an agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) that states that the four BCBS insurance plans in Pennsylvania will spend close to $1 billion in surplus funds over six years on different health programs in the state, including adultBasic. This new Annual Community Health Reinvestment fund will donate $85 million in 2005 alone, allowing approximately 29,000 new state residents to come off the wait list and enroll in the program. The new infusion of funds will be particularly helpful since the program’s funding from the tobacco settlement fund is going to be reduced by $12 million this year.