HARRISBURG - A state health program for low-income adults came to an end one year ago, but a group of Democratic senators isn't forgetting about it.
Sens. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, and Lisa Boscola, D-18, Bethlehem Twp., joined several colleagues Thursday to call for a revival of the adultBasic program on the first anniversary of its demise.
They said about 60 percent of the former adultBasic recipients still have no health coverage. The senators referred to recent testimony from state Insurance Department officials that only about a third of that group are enrolled under either state medical assistance or two alternative programs which cost more than adultBasic for individuals to participate in.
AdultBasic had operated for a decade and was considered a last-resort coverage for some 42,000 adults who had lost health insurance but earned too much to qualify for medical assistance. These recipients met income guidelines and paid a monthly premium and co-pays.
Shortly after taking office, Gov. Tom Corbett pulled the plug on the program, saying the state could no longer sustain it because of a lack of revenues.
The main funding source for the program in recent years had been financial contributions from the surpluses maintained by the four Blue Cross insurers in Pennsylvania, but those contributions expired at the end of 2010 with no agreement on a renewal.
Blake called for earmarking a portion of state tobacco settlement money to restart adultBasic.
"The ending of adultBasic does not improve the quality of life of Pennsylvanians and it could have been avoided," he said.
Sen. Michael Stack, D-5, Philadelphia, said the phase-out of the state Capitol Stock and Franchise Tax should be suspended for one year so adultBasic could be funded until some federal health care law provisions start in 2014.