Letters: Pa. must find the money to continue adultBasic

I was extremely saddened to read of the likely end of the adultBasic health insurance plan in Pennsylvania ("Find a better solution," Sunday). If funding is not found, 40,000 individuals in Pennsylvania will be facing a loss of health insurance.

The adultBasic program has been a critical support for low-income working people since its creation, and could hardly be cut at a worse time for Pennsylvanians. Even for those lucky enough to have jobs, many have seen employers eliminate health coverage, or have had to pay for their coverage at a rate higher than they could afford.

Access to health coverage has been shown to improve preventive-care practices, decrease rates of hospitalization, increase workers' productivity, and enhance families' consumer spending. In the current economic downturn, these outcomes would be well worth the investment made to continue to offer adultBasic to working Pennsylvanians who cannot afford the exorbitant costs of private health insurance.

Each year it seems more people lack health coverage and are forced to make difficult choices between basic necessities and medical care, too often at the cost of their family's health. We call on our policymakers in Harrisburg to make health-insurance coverage affordable and accessible to all families.

Pamela Bryer

Executive Director

Maternal and Child Health Consortium of Chester County

West Chester