The state-funded program relies on money from the state’s tobacco settlement and donations from four Blue Cross Blue Shield companies in Pennsylvania. AdultBasic was set to expire in Dec. 2010, but the insurer agreed to donate another $51 million to keep the program running. However, Gov. Tom Corbett announced the budget shortfalls make it impossible to sustain such a healthcare program, according to the report.
In response, lawmakers are scrambling to help adultBasic beneficiaries find healthcare coverage through other means. The state and the Blue Cross insurers are now allowing adultBasic beneficiaries to join Special Care, another program for low-income individuals. Although individuals will not be screened for pre-existing conditions, the program is not funded by the state and can cost members significantly more than adultBasic and provides comparatively fewer benefits.
Meanwhile, other lawmakers are pushing for more funding, larger contributions from the Blues insurers and slightly larger premiums to help curb the cost of healthcare and help keep adultBasic afloat, according to the report.
Read the news report about adultBasic.
Read other coverage about healthcare coverage:
– Arizona Senate Committee Votes to Drop Out of Medicaid
– Ohio Hospitals Ask to Keep Paying Fees to Avoid Medicaid Cuts
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