Legislators analyze Affordable Care Act [The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.]

Oct. 11--WILKES-BARRE -- An uninsured home care worker struggling with a liver condition and mounting medical bills said she has been going without recommended biopsies and tests for years because she can't afford the costs.

Rose Yanko, a single mother of two daughters and a licensed practical nurse for almost 20 years, told her story Thursday to state legislators at a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing on the Affordable Care Act at Wilkes University.

The 46-year-old Wilkes-Barre resident spoke in favor of Medicaid expansion that's part of the Affordable Care Act. She said she would have qualified for coverage through Medicaid if Gov. Tom Corbett agreed to expand it, instead of pushing for an alternative concept.

"I don't know what Gov. Corbett is waiting for," Yanko said. "I want to be able to take care of myself by getting the testing and possible treatment I may need. There are thousands of people just like me struggling without insurance. We feel so abandoned, but that can be changed."

Yanko was joined by members of the Service Employees International Union, who support Medicaid expansion. Under this option for states, insurance can be expanded to working people who currently don't qualify for Medicaid but also can't afford private insurance on the marketplace.

"I'm not asking for a handout and I'm willing to pay my fair share, but let's not forget about the hundreds of thousands of people who fall between the cracks," she said.

State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, requested the hearing Thursday and served as chairman. He joined other state legislators at the hearing that looked at the recent opening of the health insurance marketplace, where the uninsured can learn about and purchase and health care coverage, as well as other issues related to the Affordable Care Act.

"The Affordable Care Act is the first major courageous step toward addressing an issue that affects all of us at some time in our life," Pashinski said. "The bottom line is health care is going to affect all of us in some shape or form throughout our lives. Anyone who has observed the cost of health care knows it wasn't going down. The cost of health care was rising alarmingly in double digits for literally decades."

Between 2000 and 2009, insurance premiums in Pennsylvania increased by 95 percent, while wages increased by just 17.5 percent, according to testimony from Athena Smith Ford, advocacy director for the Pennsylvania Health Access Network. Between 2001 and 2009, 876,484 Pennsylvanians lost coverage from an employer, putting the state at third in the nation for the fastest decline in employer coverage, she said.

"Thankfully, we have the opportunity to reverse these trends and relieve the anxiety that so many of our neighbors, and your constituents, live with daily," she said.

Smith Ford said the new health insurance marketplace offers the uninsured an opportunity to purchase affordable coverage. If they purchase it by Dec. 15, the coverage will go into effect Jan. 1.

Dr. Steven Pierdon, executive vice president and the chief medical officer of Geisinger Northeast, said Geisinger Health System supports the overall concepts included in the Affordable Care Act.

"The reality is that we need health care reform," Pierdon said. "The delivery of health care, both historically and currently, is not sustainable. It is a major drain of resources for both business and the government. Additionally, it leaves millions of people out of the system and unable to access basic preventative health care, health insurance and prescription drug coverage."

Pierdon said the Affordable Care Act would help reduce the number of people who come to the emergency room, which is typically uncompensated care, since they would have access to primary care and prescription drug coverage.

"Access to health insurance would go a long way in managing chronic conditions and keeping unnecessary cases out of the emergency room," he said.

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