Corbett pushing ahead with health plan

Though Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett leaves office in just five weeks, he’s not giving up on his alternative to expanding Medicaid — Healthy Pennsylvania, even though Gov.-elect Tom Wolf has said publicly he wants to expand the traditional Medicaid program with federal funding.

 

In an interview Monday, Corbett said he plans to keep signing people up for Healthy Pennsylvania, in which subsidies are offered to low-income residents so they can buy their own private insurance.

Corbett said he hasn’t yet met with Wolf on that or other transition issues.

“Hopefully, when the governor-elect and his team really look at the program, they’ll see it really provides a lot for the people of Pennsylvania,” Corbett said. “It gets the 600,000 additional people Medicaid services. At the same time, it gives a balance to all the taxpayers of Pennsylvania in its cost.”

Advocates are concerned that Corbett’s plan may save money by offering less comprehensive coverage.