Urge Your PA Representative to Co-Sponsor PA Medicare for All Bill

From Health Care for All PA (http://www.healthcare4allpa.org/):

Below is Pennsylvania State Representative Pamela DeLissio’s co-sponsorship memorandum, requesting her colleagues to sign onto the Pennsylvania Health Care Plan (aka PHCP, aka ‘Medicare for All,’ aka PA HB 1688 in 2015-2016) prior to its reintroduction in the 2017-2018 legislative session.  Note that the bill number attached to PCHP may change. Now let’s get our State Representatives to sign on with PCHP, the proven Medicare for All solution to our healthcare funding and delivery crises. We have approximately two weeks to rally as many Members as possible.

Find your Representative at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/ and ask him/her to contact Representative DeLissio to cosponsor. See her cosponsorship letter below.

“I am again introducing legislation to establish the Pennsylvania Health Care Plan.

Similar legislation has been introduced on at least 4 occasions in the House over the past 9 years.

This legislation sets out a blueprint of bold steps that will result in a healthier citizenry at a lower cost with no co-pays, deductibles or premiums or concern about networks and with the freedom and flexibility to choose their health care providers.

This legislation improves upon our current health care delivery system in many ways. First and foremost, it preserves the private practice of medicine and the right of patients to choose their healthcare providers.

Briefly, the Pennsylvania Health Care Plan is a system in which the Pennsylvania Health Care Agency administers a plan that ensures the cost effective delivery of covered services that range from catastrophic care to wellness and preventative care.

Health Care Providers would have autonomy over patient care.

The program will be supported by the savings realized from replacing today’s less than efficient, often profit-oriented, multiple payer system with a streamlined Pennsylvania Health Care Trust Fund.

The Pennsylvania Health Care Trust Fund will be funded by a 10% employer tax paid on payroll and a 3% personal income tax.

Using our respective Caucuses as an example, we would save millions in health insurance costs if the caucuses were to pay an amount equal to 10% of payroll versus the premium payments currently made.

One benefit for Plan participants is knowing definitively their healthcare cost exposure for the year.

This is a complex topic and I will be hosting a number of informational sessions to answer questions and to get your input.

I have also attached a chart that depicts the organizational structure of the Plan and highlights how the Plan would function.”