Pennsylvania fell three spots – from 30th to 27th – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.
The state's best and worst category rankings:
See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Pennsylvania.
No, Pennsylvania does not offer a risk pool for its citizen's who are medically-uninsurable.
Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.
An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.
These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.
Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state.
Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Insurance Department--The State of Pennsylvania's department of insurance provides official information all types of insurance.
Health Insurance Tips for Pennsylvania Consumers--From the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.
Frequently-Asked-Questions about Health Insurance--From the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.
Childrens Health Insurance Program--CHIP is Pennsylvania's program intended to provide health insurance for children of working families who otherwise could not afford it.
Philly.com – From the beginning, President Barack Obama and his top advisers have sought to portray health care reform not just as another costly entitlement for the poor, but as part of a larger effort to ease the burden of mounting medical costs for the middle class.
Philadelphia Business Journal – Pennsylvania will receive $9.4 million in stimulus funds for expansion of community health centers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday.
Contact your federal officials. President Obama needs your help to push Congress to make health insurance available, affordable and universal! Read more!
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
225 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
PHONE: (717) 787-2500.
Contact by e-mail
Contact your Pennsylvania State Senator
Contact your Pennsylvania State Representative
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