Senate Democrats to Discuss Health Care Job Loss in Southeast PA
Roundtable Discussion Planned for Monday Morning in Philly

HARRISBURG, July 9, 2009 – Responding to projections that proposed state budget cuts could lead to over 13,000 statewide job losses -- 8,299 in the Philadelphia region alone -- in hospitals and related health care services, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee will hold a roundtable discussion on Monday, July 13 from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the 4th Floor Philadelphia City Council Caucus Room.

The roundtable discussion will include numerous state senators, Philadelphia City Council members, hospital executives, physicians and local labor leaders.

“This discussion is aimed at determining the impact of proposed state funding cuts in Southeastern Pennsylvania and what steps might be taken to reverse the cuts or reduce the number of lay-offs or reductions in health care services,” said Sen. LeAnna Washington (D-Phila.), who serves as the committee’s deputy chairwoman.

“It is important to note that of the 13,000 projected hospital-related lay-offs, over 8,000 of them would occur in our region of the state. More alarmingly, hospitals in Pennsylvania may be in danger of closing. We cannot ignore the grave consequences of these budget cuts on our workers and the health care services for our citizens.”

In late June, The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania warned that there would be 13,000 job losses if hospitals lose the $280 million in state funding that Senate Republicans have proposed (Senate Bill 850) to help balance this year’s state budget.

Members of the Philadelphia Senate Legislative Delegation held a news conference in the city in May decrying the proposed state cuts to a host of area services and programs ranging from hospitals to economic development programs. On June 10, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a Capitol hearing to discuss the health care cuts with Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman and Carolyn Scanlan, who serves as president of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. Both projected that the cuts would be “very bleak” for rural and inner city hospitals that have higher numbers of Medicaid recipients.

“The most ominous fact about Senate Bill 850 is that its $1.7 billion in drastic cuts only represent about half of the cuts it would take to balance the state budget,” Washington said.

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