Rendell health care plan faces challenge in getting through this year
Despite intense lobbying by Gov. Ed Rendell, little progress is expected before June on his plan to extend health coverage to the state's uninsured and relief for small businesses from health insurance rate volatility, legislative and business leaders say.
"Frankly, with so much terribly difficult work to do and the clock ticking on the budget, it'll be very hard to get anything done by June 30," said Cliff Shannon, president of Churchill-based SMC Business Councils, the region's biggest advocacy group for small business. "Unless you solve the problem of wildly volatile rates, you're going to lose ground."