Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Cheryl Gibson was in pain as she drove. Eight months earlier, Gibson had begun an at-home breathing treatment for
On today’s episode of The Confluence: At least 90% of county employees have complied with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate to be inoculated by yesterday’s deadline, but lawsuits challenging the order are still being considered; the commonwealth ranks 22 out of 47 states, plus the District of Columbia, when it comes to health care affordability; and Duolingo has hired a native Pittsburgher as its new head of social impact.
Medicare open enrollment is going on until Dec. 7. Consumer advocates warn seniors should be on the lookout for scammers as they pick out health coverage for the coming year.
The Meet the Need Coalition surveyed more than 350 current or past recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; many found it too restrictive.
The Pennsylvania State Capitol building.
Driven by job losses, changes in federal rules, and an increased focus on health care during the coronavirus pandemic, enrollment in Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program has swelled by more than 400,000 people over the last year, according to statistics from the state.
Enrollment in the state s Medical Assistance program increased by 14.7% between February 2020 through March of this year, the most recent statistics available.
In addition to pandemic-driven economic hardship, some of the large enrollment numbers are likely fueled by federal rules that say once an individual is enrolled in Medicaid, they can stay enrolled, with limited exceptions, state human service officials said. That keeps people from leaving the program if their income rises, and fewer people are being removed due to failure to submit renewal paperwork or related processing errors that would often kick people off the program before the pandemic struck.