Democrats Pushing Corbett on Medicaid Expansion

Medicaid expansion continues to hang over Gov. Tom Corbett and budget-making lawmakers.

By Eric Boehm | PA Independent HARRISBURG – Democratic leaders in the General Assembly say Gov. Tom Corbett has delayed long enough on a decision about expanding Medicaid in Pennsylvania. And if the governor won’t make a decision, they are ready to force his hand. “If Gov. Corbett is unwilling to do the right thing, my colleagues in the Senate must send a clear message that this is unacceptable. It’s time for a vote on Medicaid expansion,” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, on Tuesday. Hughes has filed a resolution to force the state Senate to vote on Medicaid expansion. If a majority of senators support the resolution, a proposal to force the state to accept the expansion would be busted out of committee and brought …

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Corbett's Insurance Exchange Decision Leaves Medicaid Fate Unknown

Gov. Tom Corbett told the federal government Wednesday, Dec. 12 that the commonwealth of Pennsylvania would not run its own health insurance exchange.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Corbett has changed his mind. Pennsylvania, Corbett had said, wasn’t ready to decide about running a health-insurance exchange because information from the federal government proved insufficient. Wednesday, two days before the deadline to decide, Pennsylvania became the 28th state to allow the federal government take over the process. “Pennsylvanians have waited long enough for answers, and continuing this environment of uncertainty harms Pennsylvania businesses and consumers who are attempting to prepare for the changes created by the ACA,” Corbett wrote in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. It’s the latest turn in Pennsylvania’s …

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Corbett: State Can't Absorb Medicaid Expansion Costs

Gov. Tom Corbett says that expanding Medicaid in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would cost the state millions of dollars that it doesn’t have.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Corbett said that expanding Medicaid in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would cost the state millions of dollars that it doesn’t have. “I don’t think there’s any way we can absorb this,” Corbett said of the expansion costs, while speaking to the Pennsylvania Press Club recently. As multiple states make their announcements on whether or not to expand Medicaid to more residents, Pennsylvania has yet to come out one way or the other. But Corbett was specific in citing associated costs, adding that Pennsylvania may not have room in the budget to cover them. Kevin Harley, Corbett’s press secretary, said later that the state is still waiting to hear back …

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Amend Wun

6:28 pm on Monday, November 26, 2012

@Crestor- it's more accurate to state that the expansion of the welfare state is due to the ineffectual nature of our criminal justice system. Anyone who doesn't question a 500% increase in incarceration rates over the past 30 years is either blind or a fool.   more ›

Pa. Lawmakers Look at Medicaid Expansion

Debate on whether to expand Medicaid in Pa. is partisan so far

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent HARRISBURG — Lawmakers are just beginning the debate on whether to expand Medicaid in Pennsylvania, and so far, the discussion sits on partisan lines. This week, Majority Whip Rep. Stan Saylor, R-York, said he plans to introduce a bill that would block the controversial expansion of Medicaid under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. “Expanding Medicaid is the wrong course of action and is a disaster in the making. Adding more people to Medicaid is not something we should aspire to nor celebrate,” said Saylor in a memo circulated to House legislators. “It is not the way to address the uninsured population.” In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a portion of ACA unconstitutional that …

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Seniors Protest Outside Sen. Toomey's Office

On the 47th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans and other groups protested outside Sen. Pat Toomey’s office in Salisbury Township.

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