Tom Corbett's Plan for Quality, Choice and Affordability in Pennsylvania Healthcare

Summary

The skyrocketing costs of healthcare are a mounting worry for many Pennsylvanians. Tom Corbett believes we must adopt common sense policies regarding healthcare and health insurance coverage to ensure access and quality and to protect the relationships between patients and the care providers of their choice. As Governor, Tom Corbett will lead the effort to make our world class healthcare affordable, both to patients as well as to the businesses that buy healthcare coverage for their employees.

Plan Highlights

• Increase Access to Quality, Affordable Healthcare without imposing strong government controls. Tom's plan will achieve this by:
  • Expanding implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home, reducing the need for costly hospital care through the use of preventative care and better care coordination
  • Preventing insurance fraud by using advanced information technology, tougher penalties and cooperation with health plans
  • Linking reimbursement to better outcomes, through implementation of new payment models
  • Facilitating the adoption of health IT
  • Expanding programs to manage chronic conditions
  • Promoting healthier lifestyles by providing developing programs that provide the individual with the necessary education, training and clinical access while requiring individual accountability to produce significant cost savings and improve overall health status
  • Promoting competition among insurers on the basis of cost and quality of healthcare services
• Enact Medical Liability or 'Tort' Reform, which is critical to supporting patient access to healthcare, helping to reduce overall healthcare costs and spurring job growth in all industry sectors
  • Repeal Joint and Several Liability to ensure Pennsylvania adheres to the basic premise that liability equals fault and a defendant should only pay their fair share in a lawsuit.
  • Cap non-economic damages supporting amendment of the Pennsylvania Constitution to allow the General Assembly to debate limits for non-economic damages in all civil litigation cases.
  • Adopt an Apology Rule permitting medical professionals to express empathy for and take ownership of an unforeseen outcome without the risk of retaliatory litigation based solely on statements made at the time of an apology.
  • Institute a Collateral Source Rule, precluding a claimant in a liability action from recovering for past and future medical expenses or lost earnings incurred before trial or anticipated in the future, as long as they will be covered by insurance or some other benefit.
  • Adopt ethical standards for expert witnesses, allow cross-examination as to compliance, and impose sanctions for non-compliance.
  • Change burden of proof for punitive damages to clear and convincing evidence and a requirement of proving malicious conduct.
  • Require Certificate of Merit Expert Report by a plaintiff in filing a medical liability action.
  • Adopt Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) pursuing the development of alternatives to the current medical liability system as pilots under the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
  • Phase out the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund (Mcare). The commonwealth should not be in the medical liability insurance business. Any phase out plan must be done in a manner that avoids making healthcare providers pay an assessment for past claims, while at the same time funding the primary layer for future claims.
• Encourage Economic Development in the Healthcare Industry. Not only is access to affordable, quality healthcare a critical factor to attract and retain business and industry in Pennsylvania, but also that Pennsylvania's overall healthcare system is an important economic engine within the commonwealth. The healthcare industry employs more than one million Pennsylvanians.
• Support Long Term Care and Services, providing Pennsylvanians with a consumer-focused long term care and services system.
• Promote our Pharmaceutical and Bioscience Industry by restoring wise tax policies and strengthening the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a purchaser and encourager.
• Improve State Run Coverage by modernizing Medicaid, implementing the federal health law wisely and supporting the adultBasic Insurance program/Community Health Reinvestment Agreement.
• Support our Healthcare Delivery System, ensuring we achieve better performance, outcomes and value for all Pennsylvanians.

 

View a printable version of Tom Corbett's full Healthcare policy (PDF file)

©2010, Paid for by Tom Corbett for Governor
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