Pennsylvania's Medicaid Expansion Transition Complete

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the completion of Pennsylvania's two-phased transition to HealthChoices, a streamlined, traditional Medicaid expansion plan.

The HealthChoices expansion moves Pennsylvania to a single, comprehensive Adult benefit package that provides individuals with enhanced coverage for both physical and behavioral health. The transition simplified the process by eliminating some of the unnecessary red tape that existing under the previous HealthyPA plan so that more Pennsylvanians could access health care.

"Medicaid expansion means that more Pennsylvanians have access to primary and preventative care. As a result, they will be able to see a doctor when they are sick, have better health outcomes, and be able to avoid costly trips the emergency room," said DHS Secretary Ted Dallas. "I would like to thank the DHS staff who have dedicated months to successfully implementing this Medicaid expansion – because of your hard work hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians have health care coverage." 

On April 27, 2015, Governor Tom Wolf announced the successful, phase one transition of more than 120,000 individuals from the previous Healthy PA plan to HealthChoices. There are currently nearly 440,000 Pennsylvanians enrolled in the Medicaid expansion plan, and more than 216,000 newly eligible Pennsylvanians have enrolled in HealthChoices since April 27^th.

On July 27, 2015, DHS transferred the remaining individuals enrolled in HealthyPA's private coverage option (PCO) to HealthChoices. These individuals had 30 days to select the insurance plan they wanted and had "bridge" coverage during the intervening time period. Their coverage in the full Medicaid expansion officially began today.

Moving to full Medicaid expansion means some individuals previously covered purely by state funds will now be covered by federal funds. This has resulted in a savings of approximately $626 million in state funds.

For more information, visit www.HealthChoicesPA.com.  

MEDIA CONTACT: Kait Gillis, 717-425-7606

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

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