Health Care Reform

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

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

Video courtesy of NewsCertified.com.

L.A. Care Concept Paper on a Regional Public Plan Option: A State-Designated Regional Health Consortium Public Plan Model (PDF)

Health Care Reform News Coverage

12.13.09: Los Angeles Times -- Veteran Health Adminstrator Backs Public Option

12.10.09: Payers & Providers -- How to Position the Public Option (see page 4)

10.4.09: Los Angeles Times -- Rehabilitating Healthcare: The Surgery Begins

9.11.09: Los Angeles Times -- Did Obama's Presidency Really Hang on One Speech?

9.8.09: Huffington Post -- The Public Option: The Third Way, not the Third Rail

8.23.09: Sacramento Bee -- Walter Zelman: Health Plan With No Public Option Isn't a Lost Cause

7.6.09: Los Angeles Times -- Covering the Uninsured: A Cost That Pays

Media Contact
Marissa Jimenez
(213) 694-1250 x.4389
Cell: (323) 496-2424
mjiminez@lacare.org