Monday, September 15, 2014,
While proposing Medicaid cuts for vulnerable Pennsylvanians, Gov. Corbett spent $48 million on undisclosed activities related to Healthy PA
Harrisburg, PA – On Monday, September 15, 2014, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced his office’s intent to examine the $48 million the Corbett Administration spent in federal and state funding to prepare for his Healthy PA plan. In response, Neal Bisno, President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, issued the following statement:
“We applaud the efforts of Auditor General DePasquale to demand transparency and accountability from the Corbett Administration in its expenditure of taxpayer dollars. Despite facing a $1.5 billion budget shortfall, Governor Corbett doled out $48 million on undisclosed activities related to its Healthy PA program while refusing to simply expand Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of uninsured Pennsylvanians. Imagine what $48 million could have offered this past year for the hundreds of thousands of uninsured Pennsylvanians in the way of doctor visits, medications and life-saving care.
Rather than accepting real Medicaid Expansion which would have produced $522 million in budget savings and thousands of new jobs, Governor Corbett chose a costly and complicated route that not only squandered taxpayer dollars, but also aims to reduce benefits for 1.2 million seniors, pregnant women and people with disabilities that currently receive Medicaid.
Prioritizing politics over vulnerable Pennsylvanians is nothing new for Governor Corbett, whether it’s kicking 40,000 low-income adults off Adult-Basic or threatening to close half of our state health centers. At the same time, Governor Corbett has generously provided corporate tax breaks and subsidies to his wealthy campaign donors. The only solution for all Pennsylvanians is to elect a governor who is truly committed to implementing real Medicaid Expansion, Tom Wolf.”
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