State senators unconvinced of health and human services merger

Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to unify four Cabinet agencies into one Department of Health and Human Services by July was met with skeptical questions from unconvinced legislators at a Harrisburg hearing Wednesday.

Mr. Wolf’s administration has said the proposed merger of the Departments of Aging, Health, Drug and Alcohol Programs, and Human Services would result in better delivery of services and a savings of more than $90 million for taxpayers.

At a state Senate hearing, however, some legislators questioned whether such a large agency would deliver better services, or if certain issues — particularly the concerns of senior citizens and those facing addiction — would become lost in a mega-bureaucracy. The move would require legislative approval.

Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, chair of the Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee, said she had concerns regarding the possible “downgrading” of drug and alcohol and aging concerns if those agencies were subsumed into the larger human services department.

Of the four agencies that would be combined, the Department of Human Services has more than 17,000 workers, the Department of Health has more than 1,200, the Department of Aging has 93 and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has 69, according to administration tallies from earlier this year.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs had previously been part of the Department of Health, but the Legislature created the addiction-focused agency in 2012.

Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming,

referring to the Legislature’s creation of the agency, quizzed Cabinet secretaries: “Are you saying the Legislature was wrong in establishing a separate, stand-alone department?” Drug and Alcohol Programs acting Secretary Jennifer Smith said she did not believe the Legislature was wrong to make a separate agency, but the state is now facing a difficult budget environment.

“During those five years, a lot was accomplished,” said Mr. Yaw, who has focused on addiction issues. “It seems to me, now we are going the wrong way.”

Under the proposal released by the governor, a representative of the state’s efforts to address drug problems would retain a Cabinet-level post, as well as the secretary of the new unified department.

Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-Venango, said that currently, some agencies’ mission is to champion a group of individuals.

“Who’s going to champion things that are not done today for senior citizens?” he asked.

Some human service advocacy groups have said they would favor the unification if it results in more streamlined services and less bureaucracy for clients, who might need services from more than one agency. They have pointed to programs such as the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which is run by the health department, while other nutrition assistance programs are run by the Department of Human Services.