Rendell signs mini-COBRA, medical errors bills

    Governor Rendell signed off on the General Assembly’s work Wednesday, turning four health care bills into law.

    Governor Rendell signed off on the General Assembly’s work Wednesday, turning four health care bills into law.

    One bill prevents young adults from being kicked off their parents’ health insurance when they’re in that middle place between college and a job that offers health benefits.

    The mini-COBRA law lets laid-off workers from small companies buy into their former employer’s health plan. In the past, that benefit was only available to Pennsylvania workers from larger companies.

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    The medical errors bill blocks hospitals and nursing homes from charging private insurance companies when a provider makes a serious, preventable mistake. Each year about 140 people die in Pennsylvania hospitals after experiencing one of these “never events.”

    The fourth bill re-authorizes the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, that agency tracks health outcomes in the Commonwealth.

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