Philadelphia, PA - U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz (PA-13) released the following statement today regarding the agreement reached between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Corbett Administration moving forward on Medicaid expansion in Pennsylvania. Over the past two years, Schwartz played a major role in advocating for Medicaid expansion in Pennsylvania, including calling on the Corbett Administration to relent on the untenable and unworkable policies in early versions of Healthy PA.

"Today's announcement is a step in the right direction for hundreds of thousands of working Pennsylvanians who currently lack access to affordable health coverage. While it was unfortunate that these Pennsylvanians lost a year of possible coverage, it is good news that Pennsylvania will now join the majority of other states in enabling their people to benefit from the ACA. CMS, and in particular, Director of Medicaid Services Cindy Mann, deserve credit for standing  firm on the goals and core tenets of the Affordable Care Act to best ensure access and affordability for uninsured, lower-income working Americans under the ACA, while allowing state flexibility. 

"As with other state applications, Director Mann and her team worked diligently to protect benefits and new beneficiaries. As a result, the Corbett Administration agreed to drop some of the untenable provisions of their original proposal that would have had a negative impact on access to coverage and care.”

"As the Corbett administration moves forward to implement this new program, it is incumbent on them to ensure that all eligible Pennsylvanians have access to quality, affordable coverage."

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