WASHINGTON D.C. – Gov. Edward G. Rendell Monday accepted the Health Care Reform Pioneer Award from the National Nursing Centers Consortium for his ongoing work to reform Pennsylvania’s health care system through his groundbreaking and innovative Prescription for Pennsylvania initiative.
“We’ve made great progress in our efforts to improve access to health care but there’s much more work to do,” Rendell said. “That is why I will be touring the state this week to discuss how we can make the rest of Prescription for Pennsylvania – including my Cover All Pennsylvanians proposal – a reality.”
The consortium honored the governor at its national conference on policy solutions for improving health care access. Specifically, the group praised the Governor’s efforts to expand the scope of practice for health care providers.
This past July, Rendell signed bills allowing advanced-practice nurses, physicians’ assistants and dental hygienists to practice to the full extent of their education and training, and to more aggressively attack and eliminate hospital acquired infections.
Rendell hit the road on Tuesday for his “Tour to Insure,” a series of events designed to give Pennsylvanians the chance to better understand how his Prescription for Pennsylvania will help to resolve the health care crisis now facing the state. Nearly 800,000 adults in Pennsylvania are uninsured and nearly 71 percent of them work for a living.
The governor’s plan to Cover All Pennsylvanians – or CAP – will provide all uninsured residents with access to affordable health care coverage. CAP will focus on the people and small businesses that need the most help in paying for health insurance.
Under the governor’s plan, small business employers will be able to participate if they have 50 or fewer employees who earn less than the state average wage. Employers who choose to join CAP will pay approximately $130 per employee per month and each employee will pay a premium of up to $70 per month, depending on the employee’s family income.