A statewide tour by the Pennsylvania Department of Health secretary to promote Gov. Ed Rendell's plan to provide access to health insurance for the nearly 800,000 adults without it made a stop in Greensburg Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. Calvin B. Johnson told a collection of health care workers at the Westmoreland County State Health Center to read the plan to "Cover All Pennsylvanians" because they can influence its success. Some 9,000 adults and 2,000 children are uninsured in the county.
"Health care is out on the front burner. We can't sit back. Things are changing, so we all need to get on board now and pay attention. Remember the 'power of one.' Everyone has the ability to weigh in on the process," Johnson said.
The "Cover All Pennsylvanians" plan has yet to be acted on by the state Legislature, so Johnson stressed that those in the health care field should push for its passage.
Johnson said the plan does not promote government-controlled health care, but rather, a "government-derived insurance product through the existing market system."
Under the plan, small businesses with 15 or fewer employees would pay a nominal fee to insure each employee, while the employees make small premium contributions depending on their income. The remainder would be derived from several sources, including an additional 10-cent per pack tax on cigarettes to generate $66 million; a new 36-cent per unit tax on other tobacco products to generate $48 million; federally generated profit reinvestments from Blue Cross Blue Shield; state monies from the uncompensated health care fund, which would be reduced by now-insured patients; and the existing 28-cent cigarette tax in the Health Care Retainer Fund created to offset malpractice suits.
"All of this adds up to provide uninsured Pennsylvanians with the funding," he said. "There is a plan on the table."
In addition to those funding sources, the plan includes cost-reduction measures. Savings of $1.7 billion per year can be realized when unnecessary chronic care hospitalizations are eliminated, Johnson said. Reducing avoidable infections obtained during unrelated hospital stays can produce a savings of $3.5 billion, he added. The $1.4 billion used to pay for the uninsured would be used by the now-insured, Johnson said.
"These are avoidable and can be eliminated," he said. "But don't take my word for it. The information is out there. Read and encourage everyone to contact their legislators and tell them they support it."
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