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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf smiles while speaking during a rally to raise the state minimum wage at Sharon Baptist Church, Friday, July 9, 2021, in Philadelphia.
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Gov. Wolf promotes affordable health care during Pittsburgh visit

Matt Slocum/AP

Gov. Wolf promotes affordable health care during Pittsburgh visit

Gov. Tom Wolf visited Pittsburgh on Friday to recognize the importance of Obamacare and affordable health care during the COVID pandemic.

He was at the East Liberty Family Health Care Center to celebrate the 56th anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Medicaid program. Recipients of Pennsylvania’s Pennie and Medicaid programs, as well as health care professionals and local officials, joined Mr. Wolf to share their personal stories working with Pennie and receiving Medicaid before and throughout the pandemic.

“Expanding health care coverage lets people get treatment they need when they need it, which results in better and less expensive outcomes for all of us. Our lives, our businesses, our communities, our economies, they’re all made better by broader access to heath care. We got to make that a priority. Expanding Medicaid coverage and lowering costs through Pennie are important first steps toward improving our health care system,” Mr. Wolf said.

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Pennie is the state’s new health insurance marketplace where Pennsylvanians can buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.” Created two years ago, Pennie replaced the Healthcare.gov system with the start of the new enrollment period in November.

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Officials hope the new system will allow the state to save money and offer lower premiums to consumers.

According to Zach Sherman, the executive director of Pennie, Pennie is the only source for Pennsylvanians accessing financial assistance through the individual market — which is often the deciding factor between having or going without coverage.

On Feb. 15, Pennie began offering a special COVID-19 enrollment period in which over 55,000 new customers have signed up since. It works closely with the Department of Human Services and other programs to help those in need receive coverage.

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“We operate a ‘no wrong door’ policy,” Mr. Sherman said.

“When we say ‘no wrong door,’ what we mean is: No matter your circumstance, if you come to us, we’ll make sure you get to the right place for the right coverage.”

Moreover, Pennie works with the Department of Labor and Industry to deliver financial assistance to those receiving unemployment, as a part of the American Rescue Plan. This automatically delivers the benefit to existing customers with low or no monthly payments.

Of the nearly 340,000 Pennsylvanians signed up through Pennie, 90% are receiving financial assistance.

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One of which is Joy Militello, of Oakmont, who moved to Pittsburgh from Raleigh, N.C., at the end of 2020. Finding herself unemployed and without health insurance during the pandemic, Ms. Militello didn’t know what to do.

‘Somebody suggested that I call Pennie, and I have to say Pennie rescued me. They gave me a lifeboat, and they helped me navigate the health care providers in Pittsburgh — which I had no idea about because I was brand new here — and they guided me toward the policy that would suit me and my budget,” Ms. Militello said.

With an emergency appendectomy in May, the services provided by Pennie enabled Ms. Militello to pay off medical bills.

Aug. 15 marks the final day for anyone to apply for health coverage during the COVID-19 enrollment period through Pennie. The next available time to enroll, absent a similar special circumstance, will be Pennie’s open enrollment period starting Nov. 1 for 2022, though other medical assistance programs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program enroll year round.

“I urge Pennsylvanians to think about their health care and insurance needs and consider shopping around on Pennie with the no wrong door policy to ensure that they have coverage that meets their needs and their situation,” Pennsylvania’s insurance commissioner, Jessica Altman, said.

“I want to stress that the insurance department is always here to help if any consumer has questions or concerns about their insurance. Not just health insurance, any insurance.”

First Published: July 30, 2021, 3:03 p.m.

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