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General Assistance Medical Care Weekly Report
It is not true that Minnesota is the only state with a program like General Assistance Medical Care to cover low income adults without children. In the past few weeks our weekly GAMC report featured similar programs in other states including BadgerCare in Wisconsin and Healthy Indiana Plan. This week, well take a look at adultBasic in Pennsylvania.
About 46,000 adults are enrolled in Pennsylvvanias adultBasic plan and last February Governor Edward Rendell said he planned to double that number. It provides health insurance for uninsured Pennsylvanians between the ages of 19 and 64. Benefits include coverage for inpatient hospital care primary, specialty and some preventive care and rehabilitative services. Enrollees pay about $35 per month1.
GAMC care provided by Regions Hospital for the week of June 16, 2009:
Total GAMC patient visits2
Emergency Room
Inpatient
Same Day Surgery
Outpatient3
Patients with mental health conditions
Reimbursement that will be lost
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237
84
30
6
117
39
$345,102
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Story of the week: Sarah4, age 45
When Sarah had surgery at Regions Hospital, she had been homeless and spending her nights in a homeless shelter. The surgery was to correct problems that stemmed in part from a bad car crash many years ago. Her injuries caused chronic pain throughout her body that has gotten increasingly worse over the past few years. This pain makes it difficult for her to engage in normal, daily activities. She works at temporary jobs when she can and she gets some help from a family member. Because Sarah doesnt have children and is not 100 percent disabled, GAMC is the only coverage she is eligible for. Sarah's current bills total over $40,000, which GAMC will cover as long as the program lasts.
1 Source: WHYY News May 26, 2009
2 GAMC or in process of enrolling
3 Outpatient visits include radiology, chemotherapy, chemical dependency, mental health and other diagnostic visits.
4 Not patients real name
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