HARRISBURG, June 27, 2014 – State Sen. Wayne D. Fontana (D-Allegheny) today issued the following statement in response to the announced Highmark-UPMC health insurance coverage agreement:
“Today’s announcement is good step forward. It will help allay fears and preserve many of the health coverage options for patients from our region. I am particularly pleased that UPMC and Highmark have agreed to cover emergency room visits at each other’s facilities. I am also encouraged by the agreement to cap out-of-network coverage.
While I am glad to see that specialty hospitals within the UPMC system, such as Children’s Hospital, Hillman Cancer Center and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic will continue to be considered in-network for all patients, I hope the two sides can find a way to include Magee Women’s Hospital under that umbrella.
While this agreement is good news, I hope these two health insurance carriers continue to work toward broadening the range of services and coverage available to families in the impacted western Pennsylvania counties.”
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