Healthcare Reform 2009
Meaningful Healthcare Reform
New Resources
As the debate
surrounding healthcare reform continues, CHADD has assembled the
following set of resources for members to use in advocating for
meaningful healthcare reform.
As the starting point for evaluating any healthcare proposal, CHADD has
supported these 13 Principles for Healthcare
Reform:
CHADD supports:
- A healthcare initiative that
provides healthcare coverage for all Americans.
- Healthcare plans that require
“parity” for mental health assessment and treatment. This
includes non-discrimination between health conditions.
- Healthcare plans must not
discriminate on the basis of pre-existing conditions or health
status.
- Healthcare plans must not
terminate coverage when people become seriously ill or are being treated
for long-term chronic conditions and must not have lifetime
caps.
- Health plans must not be
allowed to charge exorbitant out-of-pocket deductibles and
co-pays.
- A healthcare initiative that
allows young adults to stay covered on their parents’ plan until
the age of 26.
- A healthcare initiative that
specifically covers young adults, with a particular focus on young
adults with special healthcare needs.
- A healthcare initiative that
specifically covers the assessment and treatment of children,
particularly those children with special healthcare needs.
- A healthcare initiative that
requires continued affordable coverage when one loses or changes
jobs.
- A healthcare initiative that
includes wellness and prevention services.
- A healthcare initiative that
emphasizes integrated primary healthcare with specialty services,
including promotion of the medical home concept. This also includes
consumer-oriented and “meaningful” use of electronic medical
records and personal health records.
- A healthcare initiative that
allows all citizens a choice of health plans.
- A healthcare initiative that
requires health plans to include culturally and linguistically
appropriate programs and affirmative provisions dealing with racial and
ethnic disparities. This includes recognition of disability-based health
disparities.
Congress
In the Senate and the House of
Representatives, the following Committees have jurisdiction over various
aspects of healthcare reform.
The Senate Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee and the Senate Finance
Committee. The Senate HELP Committee completed its work on the
Affordable Health Choices Act, and voted the bill out of
committee by a 13-10 vote on July 31, 2009. The
Senate Finance Committee began mark-up of its version of
the bill on September 22, 2009, and voted the bill out of
committee. The Senate Finance Committee released the legislative
language of the America's Healthy Future Act on October 19,
2009, and the Committee report on October 22, 2009.
The three committees of
jurisdiction in the House of Representatives—the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, Education and
Labor, and Ways and
Means—have all completed work before recess on their
respective portions of the House tri-committee bill, HR 3200, America’s Affordable Health
Choices Act. The tri-committee merged bill, HR
3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act was debated by the full House of Representatives on
November 7, 2009. The House voted to approve the bill by a vote of
220-215.
Updated November 8, 2009
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS) and the White House
Office of Health Reform have jointly launched a
website. The DHHS Office of Disability has released a two-page document specifically addressing how
healthcare reform will impact people with disabilities.
White House
The White
House has developed a new website, Health
Insurance Reform Reality Check where White House officials
debunk various myths that have circulated in the media
recently.
Nonprofit Organizations
The Kaiser Family
Foundation has developed an interactive portal that compares the healthcare
reform proposals side by side.
Updated November 8, 2009
CHADD's Support for Healthcare Reform Initiatives
CHADD’s public policy department
is partnering with numerous coalitions to ensure that healthcare reform
continues to be a top priority for President Barack Obama and the 111th
Congress. CHADD has signed the following letters to show its support for
the following aspects of healthcare reform:
Consumer Partnership for E-Health,
Health IT, January 26, 2009, click here.
State Children's Insurance Program (SCHIP), January 27,
2009, click here.
National Health Council, Comparative Effectiveness Research, January
27, 2009, click here.
Addressing Health Disparities in Health IT,
February 3, 2009, click here.
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities,
Moratoria on Medicaid Regulations, February 24, 2009,
click here.
Mental Health Liaison Group, Healthcare Reform, May 12,
2009, click here.
Consumer Partnership for E-Health, Meaningful Use of Health
IT, May 22, 2009, click here.
National Health Council, Campaign to Put Patients First, Ad in Politico,
June 3, 2009, click here.
Consumer Partnership for E-Health, Meaningful Use of Health IT,
June 26, 2009, click here.
Request to Create Independent Commission to Oversee Design of
Benefits Package, July 13, 2009 , click here.
Congressional TriCaucus, Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2009,
July 7, 2009, click here.
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, Patient-Centered Outcomes
Research Act of 2009, July 9, 2009, click here.
Coalition for Whole Health, Healthcare Reform, August 4, 2009,
click here.
Data Collection on Healthcare Disparities, Letter to President Obama,
September 8, 2009, click here.
Creating a Healthcare Benefits Coalition, Letter to Senator Kerry,
September 18, 2009, click here.
National Health Council, Campaign to Put Patients First, click here.
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities,
Affordable Health Care for
America Act (HR
3962), November 4, 2009, click here.
Campaign for Mental Health
Reform, Affordable Health
Care for America Act (HR 3962), November 4, 2009, click here.
Mental Health Liasion Group, Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962),
November 4, 2009, click here.
Updated November 8, 2009
Healthcare Reform Should be Top Priority in 2009
Over 100 national organizations, including
CHADD, sent a letter to President-Elect Barack Obama and key members of
the new Congress requesting that they make healthcare reform a top
priority in the new Congressional session. The organizations that signed
on in support of the letter requested that President-Elect Obama and
members of Congress convene a healthcare summit as the first step for
reforming the healthcare system. The letter can be viewed here.
Posted November 19, 2008
Mental Healthcare is Integral to Healthcare Reform
The Campaign for
Mental Health Reform, a coalition of 18 national organizations,
works to provide recommendations regarding the development and
implementation of mental health policy that are consistent with the
goals of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental
Health, the Institute
of Medicine, and the U.S. Surgeon General.
On Septemer 10, 2008, the Campaign released an updated set of
principles, Inclusion of Mental Healthcare in Overall Healthcare
Reform, to guide its work in the new Congressional session. The
principles recognize that mental healthcare is an integral component of
any healthcare reform effort. The document can be accessed here.
Posted September 15, 2008
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