The state Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday approved legislation introduced by Sen.

Bob Robbins, R-50th, that would revamp Pennsylvania's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.The Energy Assistance in Time of Need Act, would make needed changes that would maximize the benefits for eligible low-income households and funds in a timely and expedited fashion, Robbins said.The measure would set Oct. 1 as the start up date for the program, as opposed to the current system where it usually opens in the beginning of November.Other provisions of the legislation would:• Set into law that those making 150 percent of the poverty level ($30,000 for a family of four) or less are eligible for LIHEAP.• Require the Department of Public Welfare to verify the income of all applicants. This accountability practice is currently not being used and would help curb possible abuse.• Require energy vendors that participate in LIHEAP to offer customers budget billing (even payments schedules longer than 12 months).• Require DPW to use all programs and resources to maximize federal LIHEAP funding. Through various programs of assistance, including utility customer assistance programs and home weatherization materials, DPW could garner additional federal funding.• Require legislative participation in the process for adopting a state LIHEAP plan.• Require DPW to provide thorough audits and monitoring of funds. DPW would also be required to provide copies of audits to the General Assembly.———State Sen.

Don White, R-41st, hailed this week's passage of legislation by the state House of Representatives giving the state Department of Insurance oversight power over mergers involving health care insurers such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield.The House measure, which generally mirrors the language White, chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, included in his own bill, is headed to the Senate for consideration.The Senate on March 28 approved White's measure.The bills were sparked by the proposed merger between Highmark (Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield) and Independence Blue Cross announced last month.The Department of Insurance already has oversight power over mergers involving for-profit companies. The Senate and House bills would bring deals involving health service plans under the same standards of the Holding Company Act.White said the long-term ramifications of a megamerger of the two largest health care insurers in Pennsylvania could impact the quality and availability of health care coverage in the commonwealth."Right now, White said, "the last thing we need in the commonwealth is further limitation on the competitiveness in the health care insurance market. There are real concerns that costs will skyrocket, quality of care will decrease and the insured will be stuck with the bill."The House bill also includes provisions that preserve the Attorney General's authority regarding oversight of charitable organizations and enforcement of federal antitrust laws.Additionally, it establishes an eight-member executive board consisting of the attorney general, the secretaries of Health and Public Welfare, and appointees by the governor and each of the four legislative caucuses.The board would be required to hold at least one public hearing on the merger, consolidation, etc., of a Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan and provide written recommendations, approved by at least six of its members, to the insurance Commissioner.———Rep.

Jason Altmire,R-4th, recently introduced legislation to ensure the proper screening and treatment of traumatic brain injuries for America's returning veterans.The Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Act would require the Veterans Affairs Administration to institute a program to screen veterans for symptoms of TBI.Additionally, under the measure, the VAwould develop and operate a comprehensive program of long-term care for post-acute TBI rehabilitation; establish a TBI transition office at each of the 21 polytrauma network sites nationwide; and create and maintain a TBI veteran health registry."More than 24,000 American troops have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom have sustained multiple injuries due to confronting suicide bombers and improvised explosive devises," Altmire said."More than half of combat casualties in Iraq have associated brain injuries. Most of them include mild TBI, which often goes undiagnosed and is subsequently left untreated."According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, TBI occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain.Symptoms of TBI vary depending on the extent of damage to the brain, but include headaches, confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, and behavioral and mood changes.———The state Senate last week approved several anti-crime bills as well as legislation that would help people protect their life savings when they go into long-term careThe four-bill package seeks to crack down on methamphetamine production and clean up the environmental damage caused by illegal meth labs, according to Sen.

Bob Robbins, R-50th, a co-sponsor of all four bills.The bills, specifically, would:• Require defendants to be assessed the environmental cleanup costs associated with methamphetamine laboratories;• Mandate penalties for possessing the ingredients necessary for the production of methamphetamine;• Formally classify the criminal offense of operating a methamphetamine laboratory, and increases penalties if the lab is operated near a school, day care center or playground.