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HARRISBURG, Feb. 8 – State Rep. Babette Josephs today sent a letter to Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario protesting the recent changes made to the state's adultBasic health insurance program.
In mid-January, Ario announced the following changes to adultBasic, which provides health coverage to adults 19 to 64 who do not have access to health insurance: increased monthly premiums, doubled copayments and coinsurance up to $1,000 a year. Monthly premiums for those enrolled in adultBasic increased from $35 to $36. However, the premium for wait-listers who elect to pay for coverage until space opens up in the program jumped from $330 to $600 a month.
"I am appalled that the department would even suggest an 80 percent increase in monthly premiums for the 3,500 participants who buy into the program at cost," wrote Josephs, D-Phila. "Another 41,000 enrollees will see higher costs, as well, in the form of higher utilization limits. And they had little more than a month's notice."
Ario said this and the other changes were necessary to control costs and maintain current coverage to those in the program, but Josephs said that adultBasic is a critical safety net for workers who can't afford any other coverage.
"It is our responsibility to keep this insurance option affordable so that we will not see these people drop their insurance and turn to already overburdened hospital emergency rooms for treatment. I can't believe that the department wants to be the reason more and more Pennsylvanians will be uninsured, poorer and sicker," she said.
"Pennsylvanians have indicated that they want a better health-care system, but we cannot depend on Congress to pass health-care reform. So, we look to the state level, to the governor and his cabinet for leadership, but instead they institute policies that guarantee more Pennsylvanians will end up uninsured. Now is the time to show the nation that Pennsylvania is the leader in the area of insurance for all of our citizens and not just the rich."
Josephs also highlighted her support for taxing other tobacco products, such as cigars, pipe tobacco and chaw, as a way to help these working-class residents see a reduction in their premiums.
"You should be figuring out ways to reduce the premiums of members of this vulnerable population, not raising them precipitously."
The adultBasic program is funded by the Tobacco Settlement Fund, the Community Health Reinvestment Agreement with the four major Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Pennsylvania, and by enrollee premium contributions.
© 2006 - 2007 State Representative Babette Josephs. All Rights Reserved. 215-893-1515 | 717-787-8529