At the August 11 meeting of the Lancaster City Council, Jerry Policoff, Communications Director of Healthcare4ALLPA, requested an endorsement from the Council for PA House Bill 1660 and PA Senate Bill 400. Both of these bills are aimed at providing a single payer health insurance system for all Pennsylvania citizens. The City Councils of both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have already passed official endorsements for this legislation, Policoff noted.

The proposed single payer system would introduce universal, comprehensive health care in Pennsylvania, without the need for individual premiums, deductables, and copays; pre-existing conditions would no longer present a barrier to care. The program would be financed largely by a 10% employer payroll tax and a 3% personal income tax—which Policoff dubbed a “wellness tax.”

Policoff’s foremost selling point was the fiscal benefit of such a program. Using Lancaster City as an example, Policoff noted that the City paid $9.1 million (32% of payroll) for employee health care in 2008. Had the City instead paid a 10% payroll tax, only $2.8 million would have been spent on employee health care. As the City presently runs on a budget deficit and looks ahead to depleting reserves, such health care savings could hold the answer to this government’s financial woes, Policoff asserted.

He also calculated that, counting the City, the County, the School Districts, and the boroughs, about $38.5 million could be saved in Lancaster County by enacting a single payer program.

Policoff explained the rationale for passing this kind of legislation on the state level: “There a growing realization in Washington among single payer advocates that [in order to get] this passed nationally, it must first be passed in the states. And the consensus is that Pennsylvania is further ahead than any other state in accomplishing this.” Ed Rendell is the only United States governor who has pledged to sign a single payer bill, Policoff asserted.

Several community members spoke in opposition to HB 1660 and SB 400, one of whom expressed concern that a mandatory 10% payroll tax would place too great a burden on business owners and result in fewer jobs. One man criticized the proposed legislated as unconstitutional: “There is no lawful authority in the State or Federal constitution to have the government involved in this program of insurance.”

The Council did not, for the time being, assume any formal position on the issue; however President Louise Williams did indicate that the issue may come under discussion in the near future.

Also at the City Council meeting, Brian Coulter and Renee Baumgartner, both members of the Citizens for Sensible Security, spoke regarding the presence of security cameras throughout Lancaster City. Coulter encouraged the Council to introduce appropriate regulations upon the system, which is operated by the private Community Safety Coalition; Coulter recommended a set of model legislation developed in 2006 by an organization called the Constitution Project. Baumgartner discussed the potential of such a camera system to later implement invasive “upgrades,” such as facial recognition technology.