Oh, no. Not another "gap" for health care consumers.

For almost a year, a group of low-income Pennsylvanians those making too much to qualify for Medicaid coverage but unable to afford private insurance have been put on hold, waiting for Gov. Tom Corbett's alternative plan, Healthy PA, to fill in for a federal Medicaid expansion the governor had rejected as too expensive.On Monday, the enrollment period began. An estimated 600,000 people caught in the working-poor gap were invited to sign up for Healthy PA, giving them access to private insurance.That coverage plan might survive for all of eight weeks, or a bit longer. Gov.-elect Tom Wolf is planning on scrapping the Corbett plan in favor of the federal Medicaid expansion offered as part of the Affordable Care Act.People caught in the middle of a political argument over their health care shouldn't be subjected to more delays and confusion. Had the Corbett administration opted for the federal expansion, it would have gone into effect last Jan. 1.Corbett, who as attorney general had joined a lawsuit challenging the individual mandate requirement of Obamacare, balked at the Medicaid expansion and won federal approval for a private-sector plan last summer.On the campaign trail, Wolf asked Corbett to call off the Dec. 1 startup of Healthy PA.No one expected Corbett to accept, and he continued to make the case that his plan would save $4 billion over eight years.Those backing the federal Medicaid offer, however, said it would be simpler to run, provide wider coverage and cost Pennsylvania only a 10 percent share of costs in the long run.A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated the state would save nearly $900 million in uncompensated care in the first decade under the Medicaid option.Well, it's too late to call off anything. The Corbett administration is proceeding with its advertising campaign for Healthy PA, even though it doesn't address the "should I sign up or should I wait?" question.The (Easton) Express-Times