Independence Hall in Philadelphia
Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance released results of a statewide survey that showed more than one million Pennsylvanians lack health insurance coverage. Meanwhile, a forthcoming report from the PA Center for Health Careers shows that 16% of direct care workers lack insurance coverage, and even higher rates for those working in home and community based services. That means that direct care workers are twice as likely to be uninsured than the general population of Pennsylvania.
What’s worse, is that the Adult Basic program, a state subsidized health care program, has a waiting list of more than 183,000 people and is expected to grow to well over a quarter million by the end of June 2009. Many people have already been on the waiting list for years according to the state Insurance Commissioner, Joel Ario.
According to the Department survey, most uninsured adults are working, but either are not offered insurance or cannot afford the insurance that is offered to them. This finding also reflects a common problem seen in the direct care field. Direct care workers are often not offered health care because it is too costly for their employers, because they are not eligible due to part-time work hours, or the premiums are too high. Also, those without insurance are not getting the routine care necessary to prevent or address health conditions before they become bigger problems. This problem is especially prevalent among direct care workers who are known to have high rates of injuries on the job.
The key findings of the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance survey conducted between September 2007 and May 2008 and the complete press release can be found at www.insurance.state.pa.us.
Tracy Lawless
HCHCW PA State Campaign Coordinator
tlawless@phinational.org
