Health Secretary's Statewide Tour to Discuss Health Insurance for All Pennsylvanians Makes Stop in Cambria County
04 03 08 - 18:20
JOHNSTOWN, Pa., March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Health Dr. Calvin B. Johnson today met with healthcare professionals at Conemaugh Health System in Johnstown to discuss Governor Edward G. Rendell's plan to provide access to health insurance to hundreds of thousands of uninsured adults through his "Cover All Pennsylvanians" proposal.
"Access to affordable insurance is critical to help prevent disease, successfully manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma, and to reduce the burden that caring for the uninsured places on our health care system," said Dr. Johnson. "Cover All Pennsylvanians is the bold step our state needs to improve access and affordability of health care for every citizen."
In Cambria County, more than 14 percent of the adult population lacks health insurance.
Governor Rendell's plan to "Cover All Pennsylvanians" would give uninsured individuals -- and small businesses that currently do not offer insurance -- the chance to buy affordable, basic insurance in the private market that will cover physical and behavioral health care and prescriptions. Currently, 767,000 adults are uninsured in Pennsylvania.
During a four-day tour, the secretary is visiting communities in Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Erie, Warren, Lawrence, Westmoreland, Mercer, Cambria, and Allegheny counties.
"Our citizens are Pennsylvania's greatest resource and keeping them healthy must be a priority. I'm here today to engage our health care partners and ask them to join the fight to get the Governor's plan approved by the General Assembly," said Dr. Johnson. "Everyone must get involved now to make a health care system that is accessible and affordable for all Pennsylvanians."