After four years of building cases, examining information, and issuing pretrial motions, the two sides reached a settlement in 1995 to improve the state’s Medicaid program and the case never reached trial.

The settlement tripled the number of children enrolled in the Medicaid program from 300,000 to 900,000, and it required the state to increase to the proportion of children in the program who actually receive care to eighty percent.

The case also led to the creation of primary care case management systems in 60 of 67 Pennsylvania counties, and it quadrupled reimbursement to doctors for comprehensive medical examinations, along with other increases in reimbursement rates. Finally, the settlement established a five-year program in which the plaintiffs and state officials assessed the program’s progress in expanding its enrollment and improving access to healthcare for low-income children in the state.

The Law Center has since built on its success in Pennsylvania, filing similar lawsuits in Michigan, Oklahoma, and Florida and establishing itself as a leader in health care access issues.