PRINTER'S NO. 1295
No. 1147 Session of 1987
INTRODUCED BY BELFANTI, CORRIGAN, MELIO, SHOWERS, CARLSON,
J. L. WRIGHT, PISTELLA, DeLUCA, PHILLIPS, BOOK, ANGSTADT,
KUKOVICH, NOYE, RYBAK, GEIST, ITKIN, FOX, HAYDEN, PRESTON,
BUNT, COLAFELLA, E. Z. TAYLOR, HALUSKA, STABACK, VEON,
SAURMAN, JOHNSON, SEMMEL, FISCHER, MERRY, HARPER, MICOZZIE,
RITTER, CIVERA, R. C. WRIGHT, OLASZ, J. TAYLOR AND BOWLEY,
APRIL 27, 1987
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, APRIL 27, 1987
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), entitled "An
2 act to consolidate, editorially revise, and codify the public
3 welfare laws of the Commonwealth," providing for services of
4 a hospital-based lifeline program to persons eligible for
5 medical assistance.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. Section 443.4 of the act of June 13, 1967
9 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Public Welfare Code, amended
10 November 28, 1973 (P.L.364, No.128), is amended to read:
11 Section 443.4. Additional Services for Eligible Persons
12 Other Than the Medically Needy.--(a) Except for the medically
13 needy, persons eligible for medical assistance may, pursuant to
14 regulations of the department, also receive dental services,
15 vision care provided by a physician skilled in diseases of the
16 eye or by an optometrist prescribed medications, prosthetics and
17 appliances, ambulance transportation, skilled nursing home care
1 for an unlimited period of time, and other remedial, palliative
2 or therapeutic services prescribed by or provided under the
3 direction of a physician or podiatrist.
4 (b) In addition to those services provided in subsection
5 (a), senior citizens on low, fixed or no income shall be
6 eligible pursuant to the regulations of the department to
7 receive services provided by a hospital-based lifeline program
8 which uses durable medical equipment, upon prescription of the
9 claimant's physician as medically necessary. The hospital-based
10 lifeline shall be an emergency response system where the patient
11 has a home communicator unit which is monitored by a local
12 hospital (the responder). The responder would be notified
13 immediately through the home communicator unit in the case of an
14 emergency. This equipment shall be durable medical equipment.
15 The responder can know within seconds of a life-threatening
16 emergency and can dispatch help immediately.
17 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 90 days.
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