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Ralph G. Neas, CEO, testified at a hearing on Health Care Reform in front of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, on June 23, 2009. A full written statement and press statement are available in PDF formats.

Ralph G. Neas, CEO, had a live interview with ABC News Top Line on June 22, 2009. Please click here to see the interview.

National Coalition on Health Care Responds to House Discussion Draft Health Reform Bill

The House Tri-Committee Discussion Draft released today is a good start at addressing the urgent need for Congressional action to contain health care costs while providing all Americans with access to affordable, quality health care.

To read a complete press statement, please click here.

National Coalition on Health Care Praises Former Senate Majority Leaders for Major Contribution to the Debate about Health Care Reform

COALITION CITES POLITICAL AND SUBSTANTIVE IMPORTANCE OF BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER REPORT

The former Senate Majority Leaders who today have released a framework for health care reform – and their colleagues at the Bipartisan Policy Center -- have performed a valuable public service.

To read a complete press statement, please click here.

National Coalition on Health Care Statement about CBO
Analysis of Senate Health Care Bill - and Reaction to It

Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued “a preliminary analysis of the major provisions related to health insurance coverage that are contained in title I of draft legislation” that had been released on June 9 by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). In a letter to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Committee, CBO Director Douglas W. Elmendorf was careful to state that these preliminary and partial findings “do not represent a formal or complete cost estimate for the draft legislation.”

To read a complete press statement, please click here.

Dr. Henry E. Simmons, President and Ralph G. Neas, CEO published
an 80 word statement for the Washington Post’s Topic A feature.

The National Coalition on Health Care Responds to AMA Speech

By having the President address its delegates today, the American Medical Association (AMA) provides reason for optimism that comprehensive American health care reform in 2009 may be within reach.

It is critical that all stakeholders -- including doctors and nurses -- be at the table working to drive a timely American solution to the current health care crisis. We hope that today signals the AMA’s positive engagement in the bipartisan process needed for successful enactment and implementation of a reform of this magnitude.

To read a complete press release, please click here.

Small Business Majority released a major economic study. The subject of the study is the projected economic impact on small business doing nothing about health care versus the projected impact of three health care reform scenarios. To read a complete study, please click here.

An article by Dr. Henry E. Simmons, President and Ralph G. Neas, CEO was published in Roll Call on June 8, 2009.

Click here to read the article.

E.J. Dionne, Jr. wrote an article in the Washington Post quoting
Ralph G. Neas, CEO.

David S. Broder wrote an article in The Washington Post regarding President Obama’s health care initiative and cited NCHC.

National Coalition on Health Care Welcomes Initiatives to Slow Health Care Spending - But Warns Against Relying on Voluntary Efforts

The National Coalition welcomes the commitment of six key organizations in the health care sector to focus on the problem of surging health care costs – and to contribute significantly to its resolution.

However, we continue to believe that voluntary initiatives – commendable though some of them are – are no substitute for legislated cost containment.

To read a complete press statement, please click here.

Chairman Charles B. Rangel Addressed A Keynote Speech at NCHC Community Forum in New York.

Read more on CNN Money and Bloomberg Web sites.

For the Members Only webpage, click here.

Did You Know?

The number of uninsured in the U.S. increased by nearly 8 million people between 2000 and 2007.

Nearly 18 percent of non-elderly Americans -- 46 million people -- were without health insurance coverage in 2007. Nearly one in every six people in the U.S. has no health insurance.

It is estimated that nearly 90 million people -- about one third of the population below 65 -- spent a portion of either 2007 or 2008 without health coverage.

The percentage of people with employment-based health insurance has dropped from 70 percent in 1987 to 60 percent in 2007.

The number of uninsured children in 2007 was 8.1 million or 10.7 percent of all children.

Nearly 3.5 million fewer children had health insurance in 2006 than in 2000.

Uninsured Americans get about half the medical care of those with health insurance. Compared to people with health insurance, the uninsured receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease states and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care and have higher mortality rates.

About 170,000 unnecessary deaths have occurred this decade due to lack of health insurance.

It is estimated that we have spent as a nation nearly 16 trillion dollars on health care since 2000, but this expenditure has not resulted in demonstrably better quality of care or better patient satisfaction compared to other nations.

It is estimated that we will have spent $2.4 trillion on health care services in 2008 about 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense.

Health care spending is estimated to reach $4.3 trillion a year by 2017 just eight years from now.

Health insurance premiums for employers have increased 100 percent since 2000.

The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $13,000 in 2008.

The average employee contribution to company-provided health insurance increased more than 120 percent since 1999.

Average out-of-pocket costs for co-payments, such as for prescriptions, deductibles and coinsurance for doctor visits, rose 115 percent since 1999.

National surveys consistently show that the primary reason people are uninsured is because health coverage is too expensive.

The Institute of Medicine estimates that nearly 100,000 patients die in hospitals each year due to medical errors. This is three times the number who dies on the highways.

It is estimated that nearly 800,000 patients have died in hospitals due to avoidable medical errors since 2000.

Unnecessary medical accidents, errors and poor quality are the nationês third leading cause of death, just behind cancer and heart disease.

Recent studies show that only a little more than one-half of adult patients receive recommended care for their medical conditions.

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults, or an estimated 116 million people annually, struggle to pay medical bills, go without needed care because of cost, are uninsured for a time, or are underinsured (i.e., insured but not adequately protected from high medical expenses).