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| On The Issues |
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 Thompson to Continue Fight Against I-80 tolls
In Pennsylvania we are waging a fight against one of the worst ideas to ever come down the “pike.” Tolling of Interstate 80 is an economic disaster that is already starting to happen. Businesses are putting plans on hold and residents are being held captive by a plan to put a tax on I-80 travel. Toll starts as a four letter word but quickly turns into a three letter word – Tax!
- Fact – Tolls would push traffic onto secondary roads.. The discrepancy between payouts for urban and rural providers is stark and needs to be corrected. Many of the patients in rural hospitals rely on Medicare and Medicaid for their coverage and as our population ages, the contrast will become more apparent. If we do not improve the payout system some of our hospitals run the risk of closing and as transit time increases we add unnecessary cost and risk to patients in need of care.
- Fact – This will cost millions of dollars in Pennsylvania economic development.. Our liability systems make physician retention difficult. Our Universities provide some of the finest medical school training in the nation but few of those students remain in Pennsylvania to practice. One of the factors is the burden of malpractice insurance. If we are to retain the best providers then our system must make sense and encourage physician retention.
- Fact – Many local residents use I-80 as a primary travel to and from work or family. . Currently there is one physician for every 1,316 residents in rural areas. (Pennsylvania Rural Health Association) In talking with a friend that lives in our district, he told me that he travels to New York City to visit a dermatologist because finding specialist care is so difficult in our area. If we are to attract economic development and improve our region overall this underdevelopment of services must improve.
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