PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 16, 2013 – State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams offered his reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett’s announcement today concerning Medicaid expansion in Pennsylvania:

“For months, a core of us in Harrisburg, and countless others across the commonwealth, have rallied, implored and, frankly, demanded that Gov. Corbett seriously consider the needs of the many over the ideology of the few when it came to access to health care.

“While it is heartening that the governor appears to be taking steps toward ensuring that our most vulnerable neighbors will have some level of health care, it remains discouraging that it took this long. Moreover, it’s disdainful that he and his administration still feel the need to institute needless barriers in the process. It remains to be seen whether the federal government will approve of these ideas, or if they’re even cost-neutral.

“Affordable care is now the law of the land, period. The sooner the governor fully embraces that reality, the sooner we can position Pennsylvania to be a more economically competitive and attractive place. A healthy citizenry only helps our collective bottom line, with fewer emergency room and chronic care costs that could have been addressed preventatively. That’s what we should all be aiming for, regardless of party. From what the governor has laid out, we’re still not there yet. I’m hopeful we will get there.”

###

Follow Sen. Anthony H. Williams via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and his website.