On September 3, long-term care providers interested in health care reform met with State Senator James Rhoades (pictured) to discuss the health care legislation awaiting passage in the Pennsylvania Senate.
The meeting was organized by a long-term care provider in Schuylkill County, who is concerned about the lack of affordable, accessible health care for her employees. She and other providers joined health care reform advocates from HCHCW and elsewhere to ask the senator to support health care for all Pennsylvanians.
The group asked the senator to ensure that health care reform legislation accomplish the following goals:
- Provide financial incentives for small business owners to provide employee coverage by using “community rating” to assess risk and “rate bands” when setting premiums;
- Address the need to provide home care workers and other low-wage earners whose hours are unstable or part-time with access to affordable quality health insurance; and
- Allow direct-care workers to obtain health insurance through the state, which would allow them to continue to work for agencies or the consumer hire program without having to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for those services.
Tracy Lawless
PA State Campaign Coordinator, PHI’s HCHCW campaign
tlawless@phinational.org
I agree as well. I will be meeting along with members of the Pa Direct Care Worker Assoc. with Rep. and their staff in the captiol in Oct. to speak about the same issues, for Direct Care Workers. Let be a “VOICE” and make a difference.