Editorial: Pennsylvania Health-Care Reform

Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania Senate - fully insured for  their  medical needs - can breathe a sigh of relief. Their eleventh-hour patchwork of health-care proposals has had the desired effect: It's a sedative, not a cure. As a result, Gov. Rendell is no longer talking about stronger medicine.

For the senators, the immediate political risk has passed for now. That means Senate Majority Leader Dominic F. Pileggi (R., Chester) and his colleagues won't have to take any courageous steps any time soon to come to the aid of the state's nearly 800,000 adults without health insurance. While Rendell hoped to use the state budget talks to nail down the Senate's agreement on a House-approved plan that truly would expand access to health care, the governor conceded last week that key elements of his reform might have to wait. As Rendell knows well, there's only one reason time is running ...