(The Center Square) – Legislators held a fiery press conference at the state Capitol celebrating passage in the House of bills protecting access to health care granted by the Affordable Care Act.
“This is an historic and great day in the House of Representatives where we just voted on four bills that will enshrine provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law thereby protecting Pennsylvanians regardless of what happens in Washington D.C.,” said House Insurance committee chair Rep. Perry Warren, D-Yardley.
The bills are a sign of the tension between Democratic state legislators and a federal government in Republican control. In 2017, Congress narrowly averted attempts to repeal, and later to diminish, the ACA which many view as former President Barack Obama’s biggest achievement.
In his second term, President Donald Trump has again threatened the current health care paradigm and with it the insurance status of tens of millions of Americans.
Proposed cuts to Medicaid would be “catastrophic” according to Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh, while legislators and administrators struggle to prepare for an unpredictable insurance landscape.
“This is the House and the Senate Democrats’ solution to the chaos in Washington making sure you can always access lifesaving care here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia. “We cannot allow this person who calls himself a president to take away all our rights. We are in Harrisburg, and we are fighting back.”
House Bill 404 preserves the ability for parents to keep children on their insurance till the age of 26.House Bill 535 stops insurance executives from capping coverage of essential benefits.House Bill 618 protects coverage for pre-existing conditions.House Bill 755 requires insurers to cover preventative health services without cost-sharing.
Twenty-two Republicans joined all 101 Democrats in voting for HB 404, 20 for HB 535, 24 for HBl 618, and 32 for HB 755. Success of the bills overall hinges on whether Senate Republicans who hold the majority decide to do the same.
Matt Yarnell, president of SEIU Healthcare PA, joined legislators to represent the state’s union workers, many of whom rely on ACA protections for their families. “One thing we all have to do every day is fight our asses off to protect our members’ health care,” said Yarnell. “When somebody joins a union, they don’t go through a litmus test of whether you’re a red or you’re a blue.”
Sen. Vincent Hughes, D–Philadelphia, called upon his Senate Republican colleagues to join Democrats in passing the legislation, calling opposition a “boil on the butt of progress.”
“We’re going to get that done, but we’ve got to send a message to the Senate Republicans: Pass those good health care bills,” said Hughes.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis gave his assurance that if the bills made it through the senate, Gov. Josh Shapiro would sign them.
Urging lawmakers to move past the regular stalemate that keeps the divided legislature from moving forward on so many bills, “It is not enough to just say no. Pennsylvanians elected us to lead,” said Davis.
