Corbett Unveils Health Insurance Proposal For Pennsylvania
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa., (CBS) -- Governor Corbett has proposed his own version of a plan to use federal Medicaid dollars to expand health care access in Pennsylvania.
Corbett continues to insist that Pennsylvania cannot afford to expand the current Medicaid program. Instead, he is proposing to make Medicaid benefits more in line with what the working insured get. The governor's proposed program would use federal Medicaid dollars to offer access to private health care coverage to low-income, newly eligible Pennsylvanians, through the federal insurance exchange. He defended his decision to include a requirement that those people and others in a "reformed" Medicaid program would have to search for work or participate in job training.
"This is about getting Pennsylvanians back to work. It really is. And getting people health care, and getting them independent. It's not about the barriers," Corbett said.
Corbett's proposal, which would require the approval of the Obama administration, would also eliminate Medicaid co-payments and would replace them with what he calls a "modest" monthly premium.
