Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner called on Gov. Tom Corbett and the General Assembly to restore the tobacco settlement funds to their original earmarked purpose of funding public health programs. The tobacco settlement monies are paid to the states annually by the tobacco companies to settle a lawsuit regarding increased health care costs incurred by the states due to smoking related illnesses.
In an effort to give the public a voice, General Wagner has been holding public hearings across the state giving people the opportunity to testify about the use of tobacco settlement dollars. On May 6, 2011, the Pennsylvania Medical Society sent a letter to General Wagner sharing its concerns about access to care and reiterating its commitment to the health and well being of all Pennsylvania citizens.
Gov. Corbett’s proposal to use tobacco settlement fund money to stimulate economic development is facing significant criticism.
A class action lawsuit was filed in March by Pennsylvanians who were covered by adultBasic until the program ended Feb. 28. The 75 former adultBasic enrollees filed the lawsuit in Commonwealth Court asking the court to require the state to reinstate the program’s funding with the hundreds of millions of dollars in the tobacco settlement fund. Twenty-two Democratic state lawmakers also filed an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs.
The adultBasic program provided health insurance to approximately 41,000 Pennsylvanians who could not afford other coverage, with an additional 500,000 on the program’s waiting list.