Pennsylvania's Ed Rendell Playing Games With Mcare Abatement
Posted by Clark Venable on 12/15/2007
The Governor of my state, Ed Rendell, has decided he wants to spend any surplus from the catastrophic malpractice insurance fund (which pays awards and settlements over $500,000) on providing insurance for uninsured adults in Pennsylvania. He wants this so much that that he's threatened not to renew the Mcare program unless he gets what he wants. Thought he State Senate has voted to extend the abatement, the House adjourned before voting.
Here's an interesting quote from Rendell:
What about the pain of the physicians who will have to figure out how to get the money to pay the full amount in January rather than April? Does the Governor think it's harder for the State to issue a refund than it is for doctors to get their hands on that kinds of money?
There should be no linkage between renewal of Mcare abatement and funding of the Cover All Pennsylvanians insurance program. Mcare funds should be used to cover the program's unfunded liability and make it easier to privatize later. The Governor's Cover All Pennsylvanians should get funding in a way that does not impact Mcare's ability to retire unfunded liability and he should stop playing political games to fund it otherwise.
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