Senate Majority Policy Committee Discusses Health Care Clinics and the Uninsured, Urges House Action

Harrisburg – The Senate Majority Policy Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Erickson (R-26), today held a public hearing on health care clinics and the uninsured in Pennsylvania.

"The purpose of the meeting is to show how health care clinics are a vital, cost-efficient component of the health care delivery system," Erickson said. "The Commonwealth needs to act, now, to foster the development of new health care clinics and ensure that the existing clinics are able to meet the health care demands of the populations that they serve."

Testifiers included representatives of community health centers and hospital-based clinics from across Pennsylvania, including Dr. Sharon Carney, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby. These officials outlined how clinics offer cost-efficient care that save health system dollars, while representatives of Independence Blue Cross explained that it funds clinics as part its social mission.

In 2010, community-based health care clinics provided 700,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians with a medical home that emphasizes coordination between patient, physician, nurses and staff. The clinics are a place where patients are recognized and supported, and where they find a centralized base for medical care and connection to other medical and community services.

In May, the Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 5, legislation sponsored by Senator Erickson to create the Community-Based Health Care Program to provide grants to community-based health care clinics. The House Health Committee has yet to consider the measure or even hold a public hearing on it. The Senate unanimously passed similar legislation in the 2009-10 legislative session, but the House Health and Human Services Committee did not consider it or hold a hearing.

"Meanwhile, those without insurance, and without money to pay for care, cannot access preventive care and are using our emergency rooms for services that would be available at health care clinics," said Erickson. "We must do more in Pennsylvania to strengthen and expand the healthcare clinic network that is a vital part of the Commonwealth's safety net to ensure that we can continue to meet the health care needs of our citizens in the future."

Contact:

Michele Hansarick
(717) 787-1350

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Senate Majority Policy Committee Discusses Health Care Clinics and the Uninsured, Urges House Action