Coverage
Today, being employed is not a guarantee of health insurance coverage. Nearly 46 million Americans under age 65 do not have health insurance while many are under insured.
From Rx for Reform
NCHC Action Fund President and CEO, Ralph G. Neas, calls for an insurance policy for health care reform.
Noting that last spring, leaders of the health care industry, including representatives from PhARMA, America's Health Insurance Plans, the American Medical Association and American Hospital Association, met with President Obama and pledged to him and the American people that they would decrease the annual rate of cost increases by 1.5 percentage points to save $2 trillion or more over the next decade. Neas said the commitment that industry leaders made to the President and the American public "should be more than a photo op, press statement and promise." Citing Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus' piece about legislative cost containment efforts and needing a fail-safe mechanism to ensure that the rate of health care inflation is slowed, Neas urged that industry pledges to the President and the American people to control the growth of national health expenditures be codified and made enforceable as part of health reform.
The National Coalition on Health Care's recommendations, based upon the consensus view of 85 member organizations, to make the system less complex, reduce overly high prices, and create a truly competitive health care marketplace. The goal of the paper is to augment the NCHC Principles and Specifications with a more detailed and selective set of policy recommendations on cost containment and quality improvement.
From Facts & Research
In a fact sheet released August 6, 2010, The National Association Community Health Centers highlighted that Community Health Centers are well positioned to lead the nation in revolutionizing the primary care delivery system.
While insurance market reforms required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) get top billing, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that the nation’s network of Community Health Centers (CHC) will be a critical element in fulfilling reform’s promise. Today more than 8,000 CHC’s are the source of primary health services for over 20 million people and are expected to reduce reliance on emergency rooms and providers that do not welcome Medicaid patients. Congress authorized more than $11 billion in funding to support 15,000 new centers expected to provide services for over 20 million new people starting in 2011.
AARP and the American Heart Association, both organizational members of National Coalition on Health Care joined with other health reform advocates to urge HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to ensure timely and effective rulemaking about the temporary high risk insurance pool. Designed for those who lack insurance due to a pre-existing condition, the high risk programs under the health reform legislation must be in place by June 21, 2010. The groups pressed HHS not only to meet the deadline but also for a transparent administrative process, uniform rules for eligibility, clearly defined rates and premium assistance for those who need it. They also expressed concern about the states being able to meet related deadlines. For the full text of the letter, click the link above.
Almost half of all uninsured young adults with a chronic condition reported that their condition worsened during the previous 12 months due to lack of care.
National Coalition on Health Care
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