The Pennsylvania Catholic Health Association (PCHA) and the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) issued this statement today applauding the federal approval of Governor Tom Corbett’s Healthy Pennsylvania, a plan that will allow hundreds of thousands more Pennsylvanians access to necessary health care:
The Pennsylvania Catholic Health Association (PCHA) and the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) applaud the federal approval of Governor Tom Corbett’s Healthy Pennsylvania as one more step toward affording access to health care for all persons.
Catholic sponsored health care facilities have a special mission to serve the economically poor. Thousands of Pennsylvanians are uninsured, compounding the negative impact of economic hard times. Healthy PA will help many Pennsylvanians overcome one of the most significant obstacles in breaking the cycle of poverty.
PCHA and PCC acknowledge that resources are limited and further reform to the Medicaid program is necessary for financial stability. Using the funding made available by the Affordable Care Act to subsidize the purchase of private insurance for low-income people will also ensure that thousands of additional citizens will be able to access the health care they need now.
Our challenges in caring for those in need are still daunting. Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you.” We cannot ignore those who need help now while we strive to achieve long term health care solutions.
