On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Senator Jim Ferlo announced his plans to reintroduce a "Single-Payer" health care bill.
Ferlo cited a staggering rise in health costs in Pennsylvania over the last two decades, and is confident this plan will not only reduce those costs, but provide quality coverage for every resident.
A study done by Gerald Friedman, a Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amhearst, shows that between 1991-2009, spending on health care in this state increased by $60 billion.
That's twice as fast as the state income.
The idea of instituting a single-payer system would mean big changes.
Senator Ferlo says the bill, Senate Bill 400 the PA Family and Business Health Care Security Act of 2013, will be re-introduced soon. "Establish efficient health care trust fund, controlled by Pennsylvanians."
It would be controlled and owned by Pennsylvanians, and also funded by Pennsylvanians. It would eliminate health insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
"The goal is also to include full funding of prescription drugs, while leveraging the buying power of 12 million to ensure lower costs." Ferlo said.
The possibility of breaking up the tie between employers and health care was brought up, and State Represenative Pam Delissio said the two were never meant to be partnered. "It will serve the public good if we can sever the ability to access health insurance,whether or not someone can access health insurance regardless, whether or not someone happens to be employed, let alone employed by a company that offers that particular benefit."
