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- LEG REG REVIEW
- 2004,
Thirteenth Issue
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- LEG REG REVIEW is a periodic newsletter produced by PHILLIPS ASSOCIATES,
a professional lobbying and consultant firm based near the State
Capitol. It contains
news on the Legislative and Regulatory scene in Pennsylvania that
may be of use to insurance producers, companies, and interested
parties. It is a free
Member Service if you are a member of the Pennsylvania Association
of Health Underwriters (PAHU) or the PA Surplus Lines Association (PSLA).
Subscription information may be obtained by contacting
PHILLIPS ASSOCIATES at 717/728-1217, Fax 717/728-1164 or E-mail to xenobun@aol.com.
-
- IMPORTANT NOTICE re subscription change to E-mail
- Please email jtrout2792@aol.com
supplying both your fax number and your desired email address.
If you do not wish to receive this publication, please let us
know.
-
- SENATE RETURNS TO HARRISBURG
- The PA
Senate returns to the Capitol this week.
Next week, both House and Senate will be in session.
No insurance bills are on the Senate agenda.
There is one Senate Resolution with health impact.
SR 207 (Orie-R-Allegheny) would ask the US Congress to
designate Pennsylvania’s PACE program as the official recipient of
drug benefits under the 2003 Medicare reform.
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- Legislative
committee work includes:
- ·
House
Labor Relations Committee May 4 on HB 1014 (Barrar-R-Lehigh).
This bill amends the Worker Compensation Act to expedite
payments to WC claimants.
- ·
On
May 4, Senate Finance Committee hearing on PA’s business tax
structure.
- ·
On
May 11, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee informational
meeting on SB 495 (Tomlinson-R-Bucks) mandating health coverage for
colorectal screening.
- ·
This
week marks the House deadline for amendments to the Budget Bill (HB
2579) that embodies Governor Rendell’s Budget for 2004-05. The bill may see House action the week of May 10.
- ·
On
April 29, the House State Government Committee held another hearing
on the Governor’s strategic Sourcing Initiative to consolidate
state procurements. Unlike
previous hearings where witnesses described economic hardship to PA
businesses from the SSI, this hearing focused on a favorable
reaction from women and minority interests that like the SSI
women/minority firm requirement for the contract.
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- MED MAL CHARGES FLY
- Public
Citizen and the House Democratic Caucus attacked PA’s medical
interests for allegedly misrepresenting figures on doctor flight
because of Medical Malpractice awards.
Based on news reports suggesting that PA has seen a net
increase in doctors, Minority Chairman Bill DeWeese (D-Greene)
called on the medical community to stop “using misleading figures
in their quest for the silver bullet of lawsuit caps.”
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- Public
Citizen’s April 30 news conference was more specific, claiming
that the number of physicians has grown 1,859 from1994-2002, that
the number of Mcare/Medcat claims dropped from 706 in 1999 to 699 in
2003, that overall claims only rose one percent from 1999-2003, and
that jury verdicts are falling as are the $ one million awards (44
in 2000 versus 22 in 2002 and from $415 million in 2000 to $93
million in 2002).
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- PRIMARY
SEES MINIMAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY CHANGE
- The April
27 primary produced little change in the makeup of the General
Assembly. There
may be only twenty or so truly contested races in the fall.
Only one incumbent, Michael Horsey (D-Phila.), was toppled by
son of former congressman Lucien Blackwell Tom Blackwell. There were close calls by Democratic Rep. William Reiger (Phila)
who survived by fewer than 200 votes and by Republican Senator John
Gordner (Columbia) who beat a challenge 46-43% from local physician
Wayne Miller in the GOP primary.
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- Results
with insurance significance include:
- -
Licensed
insurance producer Ross Schriftman, a licensed insurance producer
who served for years as the legislative chairman for the
Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters was unopposed in the
Montgomery County/Phila. Democratic primary.
He is poised for a rematch against Sue Cornell who beat him
in a special election in March to fill her father’s term.
- -
Insurance
Committee member Rep. Linda Bebko-Jones (D-Erie) won her primary
with 60% of the vote and is unopposed in the fall.
- -
Sharon
Cole, a House staff person with Insurance Committee experience lost
in the Republican primary to succeed Allan Egolf in the Perry County
seat. The winner is
county commissioner Mark Keller.
He is unopposed in the fall.
- -
House
Insurance Committee Steve Nickol (R-York) defeated Will Taylor in
the GOP primary 66-34%. Nickol
is unopposed in the fall.
- -
Races
of interest at the congressional level include long-term care
insurance advocate John Peterson (R) winning his primary
(uncontested in the fall); Melissa Brown defeating Rep. Ellen Bard
in the Republican primary for the 13th congressional
district (Mont. County) to square off against state senator Allyson
Schwartz; state senator Charles Dent is the GOP nominee against
Democrat Joe Driscoll in the 15th district (Pat
Toomey’s seat); and finally, in the 17th district,
Scott Patterno traded on JoPa’s name to win a six-way Republican
primary with only 27% of the vote.
The incumbent is Democrat. Tim Holden in the fall.
Holden holds an insurance license.
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- GOVERNOR ESTABLISHES
FINANCIAL EDUCATION EFFORT
- On April 30, Governor Rendell announced the formation
of the Task Force for Working Families and the Office of Financial
Education. Hilary Hunt
heads the new office. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Phila.), Democratic
Appropriations Chairman and William Schenck, Secretary of Banking
are co-chairs of the Task Force.
The focus of the Office of Financial Education is to
coordinate greater cooperation between Comm9onwealth agencies
addressing financial education and literacy.
The Task Force consists of sixty individuals from both public
and private sectors although it is unclear yet as to how many
financial planners or insurance producers are included.
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