Title
Authorizing the Council Committee on Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings regarding Healthy PA.
Body
WHEREAS, The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act) establishes a new category of Medicaid eligibility for individuals who cannot afford private insurance but are not presently eligible for Medicaid coverage in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, The federal government will reimburse states 100% of the cost of expanding Medicaid eligibility for the first three years, with the federal share declining slowly over the next three years, and remaining at 90% thereafter; and
WHEREAS, Last year, Governor Corbett presented to the Pennsylvania General Assembly the proposed FY 2013-2014 state budget and, in his budget address, Governor Corbett stated that he could not recommend simply expanding Medicaid in Pennsylvania, under the Affordable Care Act, due to its cost and lack of flexibility; and
WHEREAS, In contrast to Governor Corbett's analysis of the Affordable Care Act, the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan economic and social policy research organization, has estimated that Medicaid expansion, as originally proposed under the Affordable Care Act, would bring an estimated $38 billion in additional federal dollars to Pennsylvania between 2014 and 2022; and
WHEREAS, According to this data, Medicaid expansion will save Pennsylvania money through a combination of state savings and new revenues, creating tens of thousands of new jobs statewide and growing the Commonwealth's and City's economies; and
WHEREAS, In contrast to the various states that have simply expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, Governor Corbett has proposed Healthy PA as a plan to increase healthcare for the citizens of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, In order for Pennsylvania to receive federal dollars under the Affordable Care Act through Healthy PA, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must approve several waivers that are included in Governor Corbett's proposal; and
WHEREAS, Some of the 23 waivers that must be approved in order for Healthy PA to be implemented include premium payments, marketplace coverage, and work search requirements; and
WHEREAS, If Healthy PA is not approved by CMS, Pennsylvania, and more particularly Philadelphia, would be negatively impacted by a loss of federal funding to provide insurance to citizens that do not have healthcare; and
WHEREAS, According to a study by the Public Health Management Corporation, almost 180,000 non-elderly adults in Philadelphia lack health insurance, and Pennsylvania has almost 1.4 million uninsured residents statewide; and
WHEREAS, And considering the significant financial impact that Healthy PA will have on Philadelphia, either through additional federal funding or the lack thereof, it is important to analyze this proposal so that this information will be available during Council's deliberations on the City's FY 2015 operating budget and five year plan; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Council Committee on Public Health and Human Services hold hearings regarding Healthy PA.
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