Wolf: 500,000 Pennsylvanians enrolled in Medicaid expansion

Gov. Tom Wolf says the signups of 500,000 Pennsylvanians for health care under the Medicaid expansion are part of keeping a campaign promise he made in last year’s election campaign.

Wolf joined state Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas and health care advocates to mark the milestone Thursday at a news conference at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Wolf, a Democrat who expanded Medicaid eligibility under the federal Affordable Health Care Act soon after he took office in January, says he hopes the number of enrollments will continue to grow.

The speakers said many of the newly eligible people had not previously had any health care insurance.

Dallas says the state’s uninsured population dropped from 14 percent in 2013 to 8 percent this year.