State fails to address health care

Herald Standard - Uniontown, PA

July 9, 2008

Lawmakers in Harrisburg are practically glowing. For the first time in recent memory, they have managed to hammer out an agreement on the state budget reasonably close to the June 30 deadline.

Hold the champagne. Legislative leaders may have been able to strike a deal on the budget, but did not address one of the most important issues facing Pennsylvania: health care. The good portions of the budget threaten to be overshadowed by this monumental failure.

Gov. Rendell offered a bold plan to expand coverage and lower costs, but lawmakers refused to act. Rendell originally tried to link his health care proposal to the passage of the state budget.

That didn't happen, mostly because of endless roadblocks thrown up by the GOP-controlled Senate. Republicans claim they are worried about costs, but their behavior seems more like that of insurance-industry puppets than fiscal watchdogs.

To be fair, the $28.2 billion budget does have some positive components.

Details are still emerging, but the final package is expected to include increased funding for education, alternative energy, and infrastructure. (For a summary of these proposals, check out www.ourmoneyphilly.com)

However, the inability of the Legislature to address the health care crisis is not only disappointing - it's an outrage, considering that they are the same folks who are entitled to free health care for life after just 10 years of service.

More than 767,000 adults in Pennsylvania, most of whom have full-time jobs, lack health insurance. According to a recent study by the Center for the Study of Health System Change, rising health care costs caused 20 percent of the population to delay seeking needed medical care. Uninsured individuals are often one illness or accident away from bankruptcy.

Lawmakers will be returning to their districts for summer recess as soon as the budget is passed. Nothing will happen on health care until legislators return to Harrisburg for the fall session.

They will have a total of 12 days to pass comprehensive reform before again breaking until after the election.

Call us pessimistic, but counting on the Legislature to make something happen in that brief span of time seems analogous to believing in the tooth fairy ... and believing that while she's delivering quarters, she can also treat the dental needs of the uninsured.