PUP Health Care History 1976PUP began its campaign to hold 15 local hospitals in Philadelphia accountable to the Hill Burton Act and continued to demonstrate at each hospital throughout the city though 1985 until they all agreed to comply. Hill-Burton ActA Hill-Burton hospital must provide a certain amount of free care per year, but can meet this obligation before the year is completed. Also, some hospitals restrict their Hill-Burton obligation to certain departments. To restrict care in this way, the hospital must have published a notice of its obligation and restrictions before the start of its fiscal year. Most hospitals have completed their 20-year free care obligation by now. They have other lifetime obligations under the Community Services provision of the act. |
Health Care links |
The Community Service Assurance
Even after the obligation to provide free and/or low-cost care expires, hospitals that have received Hill-Burton funds are permanently subject to certain regulations that guarantee access to health care as long as the facility receives federal funds. According to the Hill-Burton Act, unemployed and low-income workers have these rights at Hill-Burton hospital: no Hill-Burton hospital can turn away someone in the Emergency Room because she or he can't pay the fee.
1985
The creation of the PUP Health Care Hotline
The Hotline's trained benefits counselors began advocating for individuals in the health care system and PUP members fought for access to better health care in Philadelphia. PUP found that uninsured patients were turned away from several hospitals in the city and lead the fight to make sure that these Hospitals admitted these individuals without having to leave large deposits or go bankrupt from medical bills.
1987
The Pledge of Responsibility
PUP successfully pressed area hospitals to sign its "Pledge of Responsibility" which committed them to treat all those who need care.
1988
PUP rally's to support Public Health Centers
Residents of Philadelphia are entitled to free or low-cost Medical Care and Prescription Drugs, through any one of the City's nine District Health Centers. The Health Centers are located in neighborhoods throughout the city. While they stand out as a model for the rest of the country, they are overtaxed, under-funded and perpetually under threat for cuts.
October 1991
Basic Services Campaign
PUP drove a coalition campaign, which lead to City Council passing a bill that required basic services at the 9 city Health Centers guaranteeing health care for tens of thousands of uninsured and poor Philadelphians.
2000
PUP works to form the Consumer Health Coalition.
The goal of this statewide coalition: to expand the money from the State tobacco settlement to insure Pennsylvania's working families.
2002
AdultBasic Created
30% of tobacco settlement money is set aside for a low-cost insurance program for poor Pennsylvanians. This popular program makes Blue Cross health insurance affordable for Pennsylvania adults who earn up to double the poverty rate for a cost, at the time, of $30 per month. Over 48,000 Pennsylvanians enrolled in adultBasic in a little over 6 months. The program swiftly reached its capacity and, within a year, over 60,000 Pennsylvanians were on the waiting list.
Anyone who financially qualifies can join the adultBasic plan without the subsidy. While still quite expensive, this option costs considerably less than if an individual sought insurance alone.
2005
Blues contribute to adultBasic
Due to funding limitations, the number of people enrolled in adultBasic began to decline. Many people in the state organized to call on the state's largest non-profit insurers, the Blue Cross & Blue Shield organizations, to use some of their $3.5 Billion in reserves from cash surpluses to cover Pennsylvania's uninsured. Gov. Rendell negotiated a deal with four PA Blues to cover an additional 29,000 Pennsylvanians by moving them onto adultBasic (though even then, between 60 and 80 thousand Pennsylvanians would remain on the waiting list).
According to the state web site, 50,700 were enrolled in adultBasic in June 2006. Numbers for the waiting list are not given on-line.
PUP's Health Care Committee Continues to work toward Healthcare Unemployed Workers in Philadelphia. AdultBasic is not enough. We are work with the city on their referendum for universal healthcare and on the state level with the Governor's task force to create better, more effective systems to provide access. Members also plan to support Hospital Watch PA in its efforts to pass the Governor's new draft hospital regulations as drafted.