General Assembly Leaves for Summer Without Mcare Resolution
Two more bills that would have extended Mcare abatement were left hanging when the General Assembly left for the summer on July 4, 2008.
House Bill 2648—which would extend Mcare abatement for 2008-09—was amended in the Senate to include reauthorization of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). It was approved 48-2 by the Senate on July 3 and sent back to the House.
The House also had before it a similar bill,
Senate Bill 1372, which also would extend Mcare abatement for two years and reauthorize PHC4 for five years. It was passed unanimously by the Senate on June 26. The House did not act on either bill before adjourning for the summer recess.
Gov. Ed Rendell said he will veto a bill that reauthorizes PHC4 and includes Mcare abatement because the General Assembly has not yet developed a plan to provide health care coverage to the uninsured.
"There will be no Mcare extension until we expand health care. If health care waits until the fall, so will Mcare. You would have to be in a coma not to know our position on that,” Legislative Affairs Secretary Steve Crawford said in June.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society supports expansion of health care coverage for the uninsured, but does not believe it should be linked to Mcare. The State Society’s primary long-term goal is a plan to phase out the Mcare fund.
The General Assembly returns to session on September 15. There will be a strong push to resolve their differences on Mcare before the end of the 2008 session.
Last Updated: 8/13/2008