Acknowledgement and Introduction | National Coalition on Health Care

With the support of The California Endowment, the National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC) has undertaken a year-long policy analysis, advocacy, public education campaign and underserved communities empowerment program designed to ensure that federal health system reform can be enacted and implemented effectively to address the needs of Californian businesses and residents.  This project is designed to leverage the collective strengths of the National Coalition on Health Care and our state and community partners to help empower individuals and policy makers in California with the information, communication skills, and collaborative building tools to successfully implement health system reform.

Marshalling the resources of our diverse membership, including those of the American Legacy Foundation, CalPERS, CALPIRG, CalSTRS, and the Small Business Majority, among others, the Coalition in the past six months has helped to amplify the voices of payers, consumers and underserved communities across the State of California and the nation to inform the debate on the most sweeping health system reform legislation of the past century. Now, with enactment of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), successful implementation depends on providing businesses, consumers, providers, policy-makers and their constituents with an understanding of how the new law and the implementation choices being made in Washington and Sacramento will impact them.  

In the coming months, California — which leads the nation in support for health system reform — will be the focus of expanded public education, capacity building and stakeholder collaboration efforts designed to improve implementation in California and, by example, the nation as a whole.     

Coalition members and partners will provide a range of resources including nonpartisan policy analysis, technical assistance, educational material and subject matter expertise to inform California’s health reform implementation process and related policy considerations with particular attention to choices regarding the design of the state exchanges and to institutionalize stronger coalitions within the state.

Watch this space for upcoming meetings and events in California.

This project is dedicated to increasing awareness and strengthening support for culturally competent health systems, community based health initiatives, prevention, the elimination of health disparities and greater workforce diversity among health workers and professionals. This website and associated partners’ collaborative space will serve as a hub and is the first of many steps to build the long term capacity to secure the promise of sustainable health system reform in California.

For further information about this project, please contact the NCHC California desk in Washington at 1-202-638-7155.