Health Care Reform

STATEMENT ON THE SUPREME COURT RULING

By Howard A. Kahn, CEO of L.A. Care, Nation’s Largest Public Health Plan

“This is a really good day for all Californians—but especially for low-income and uninsured Californians who struggle to get the health care they desperately need.

By upholding the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court has ensured millions of Americans who had no access or limited access to health care will soon become eligible for health coverage through the expansion of Medicaid. While there remain some questions on how this will be implemented at the state level, I feel confident that Governor Brown and legislative leaders will work with the Obama Administration to expand the Medi-Cal Program in California to our state’s most vulnerable residents who are anxiously awaiting health care coverage.

We recognize that the Affordable Care Act doesn’t cure all that is wrong with health care, but it goes a long way toward healing it by making vital health care services accessible to millions more Americans.

In Los Angeles County alone, 2.7 million uninsured adults under 65 years of age currently have little or no access to preventive care, chronic disease management tools and affordable prescription drugs. With the court upholding the expansion of Medicaid, more than 800,000 of them will become eligible for health coverage that will make it possible for them to secure these much-needed healthcare services

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Health Care Reform

Safety Net Health Plans Comment on Health Reform Vote
Urge Lawmakers to Support Opportunities in Affordable Care Act

(1.19.2011) The Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) released the following statement in response to the vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act:

“The Association for Community Affiliated Plans supports Congress’ ongoing work to strengthen the nation’s health care system. The Affordable Care Act provides a solid foundation that has set the nation on a path to provide access to quality, affordable health care for those who need help the most and will address some of the long-standing inequities in health care for low-income individuals. There may be room for improvements to the Act, but we believe that a wholesale repeal would be a step backward, reversing many of the important advances that already have taken effect and eliminating long-overdue reforms that will be implemented in the years ahead."

Read the rest of the statement.

Statement on the Passage of Health Care Reform by Howard Kahn, CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan

It is with a tremendous sense of achievement that we are witness to an historic moment. On Tuesday, March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the health care reform bill into law, an effort decades in the making.

While far from perfect, this new legislation will greatly improve the lives of the estimated 2.1 million uninsured in Los Angeles County, and 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured and underinsured.

We are particularly pleased that we believe the legislation saves the CHIP program (Healthy Families in California). An estimated 234,000 children in California will continue to receive consistent, preventive care from their own doctors.

We also believe the expansion of Medicaid to include individuals under 65 years of age will provide millions of Americans who previously had no access to preventive care, chronic disease management tools, or affordable prescription drugs with these much-needed health care services.

However, even after the passage of health care reform, we recognize that there will still be many who remain uninsured, particularly here in Los Angeles. Both public and private safety nets will continue to face very real challenges.

Here at L.A. Care, we will continue to support the Los Angeles safety net and will continue working to ensure its protection.

L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest public health plan, currently provides health coverage to more than 800,000 low-income Los Angeles County residents.

Health Care Reform Resources

www.getcoveredca.org – Learn about how the new Health Care Reform law will benefit you!

3.18.2010: L.A. Care CEO and Other LA County Leaders Urge Congress to Pass Health Care Reform NOW
Read The Open Letter to Congress (PDF)

Hear L.A. Care CEO Howard A. Kahn Speak About A Different Approach to the Public Option -- video clip