Pennsylvania
Pa. health bills on workforce shortages, ACA protections take an early session lead
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Health care is top of mind for Pennsylvania leaders and lawmakers this year as the state legislature begins hammering out a new budget and considers a slew of new bills and policies.
In his annual budget address Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro urged legislators to tackle workforce shortages, distressed hospitals and for-profit private equity health care operations.
Meanwhile, Republicans say they’re focusing on bringing down spending and costs of programs like Medicaid, an insurance program for people with low incomes.
Here are some of the top health care legislative priorities getting attention early this year.
Affordable Care Act protections
The Affordable Care Act, passed into law by Congress in 2010, guarantees essential health benefits like free annual exams and insurance coverage for blood tests and prescriptions, mental health and addiction treatment, emergency care and more.
The federal law also bans the practice of insurers denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions, allows children to stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 26, and offers insurance options to individuals and small businesses.
During his first presidential term, Donald Trump attempted to repeal the ACA, but failed in the legislature. In his second term, he has pledged to make changes to the program and how it is funded, with no specific details yet on those plans.
In his budget address, Shapiro said that Pennsylvania should adopt ACA protections into state law. About 1.2 million people in the state get health care through ACA plans, officials said.
“If we fail to do so and the ACA goes away, health care costs will dramatically increase for Pennsylvanians,” he said.
Pennsylvania Senate and House Democrats are spearheading a series of bills that would adopt ACA protections into state law, with early support from some House Republicans. Bills have been referred to respective banking and insurance committees.
President Trump is visiting the Lehigh Valley next week.
Mr. Trump will speak at Mack Trucks in Macungie, Pennsylvania, Tuesday at 2 p.m. Macungie is roughly 10 miles from Allentown.
Mack Trucks is a 1.7 million square-foot facility in Macungie that assembles heavy-duty trucks for North American and export markets, according to its website.
“Mack Trucks are a symbol of America’s manufacturing strength,” Rep. Dan Meuser said in a Facebook post about Mr. Trump’s upcoming visit to Pennsylvania. “Their Lehigh Valley operations are a pillar of the local economy, employing Pennsylvania workers and driving the nation’s trucking industry.”
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Mr. Trump visited Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, multiple times. He’s also visitied during his second term.
In December 2025, Mr. Trump said in a speech in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, that he was “crushing” inflation and called affordability concerns a “Democratic hoax.”
One week later, Vice President JD Vance aimed to calm the affordability concerns at a Uline facility in Alburtis, about 13 miles southwest of Allentown.
Tickets are available for Mr. Trump’s visit to Macungie next week on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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