The fate of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council is in the hands of state lawmakers and the Rendell administration as the hours tick away toward June 30, the day the council's current period of reauthorization expires.

The issue shouldn't be whether the agency merits reauthorization. It deserves reauthorization because of the valuable information it provides from its analyses of the cost and quality of Keystone State health care.

What the General Assembly needs to resolve quickly is for how long the agency should be reauthorized.

Edwin Erickson, chairman of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, has the best idea. He wants to extend the agency's existence for five years; the council is completing a five-year reauthorization.

As Erickson points out, limiting the council's extension to five years gives the General Assembly the ability to re-evaluate the council's structure and activities with a desirable level of frequency, enabling the legislature to make changes that might be deemed in the agency's and taxpayers' best interests.

Less-palatable proposals before the General Assembly would extend the agency's life by seven or 10 years.

It is Erickson's committee that is considering a bill that would reauthorize the council through June 30, 2018, while the full House is considering legislation that would extend the council for seven years.

In addition to merely reauthorizing its continued existence, the House proposal would require the council to create an Internet database that would enable consumers to compare the prices doctors charge for common medical treatments.

The House version also would rename the agency the Health Care Cost Containment and Comparison Council.

There's nothing wrong with the ideas of renaming the agency and setting up the Internet database, but those two items should be part of a five-year reauthorization schedule rather than a seven- or 10-year schedule.

Frequent scrutiny provides greater assurance that the agency remains steadfast in its worthy mission of gathering the valuable information that business advocates and labor unions say helps guide their health care plans.

Judging from the reported mood of the General Assembly regarding the agency's performance over the years — it has been in existence since 1986 — there is little question that the agency will survive beyond June 30. In addition to a majority of lawmakers, Gov. Ed Rendell also reportedly supports reauthorization and so do lobbying groups for hospitals and doctors. To many people, the question then might be, with so much support, why has reauthorization not yet been completed?

Those familiar with Harrisburg's way of doing business know the answer. The General Assembly has a penchant for waiting until the last minute to take action, even in instances in which its decision seems obvious.

As with the cost council's last reauthorization in 2003, it appears this year's reauthorization will drag on beyond June 30, leaving the agency in temporary limbo.

According to an article in Tueday's Butler Eagle, the council has compiled reams of reports on such things as health maintenance organization performance and hospital finances. And, it is able to accomplish that with just a little more than 40 employees and a $5 million budget.

Despite its admirable performance over the past 22 years, it is right that the council not be able to become too comfortable regarding its existence.

That is part of the justification for a five-year extension and such thinking, wherever possible, should extend to other state agencies.

The Health Care Cost Containment Council's mission remains important and, in fact, is increasing in importance. For that reason, lawmakers lack grounds for procrastinating on reauthorization.

The council should be allowed to continue its valuable mission uninterrupted.