Unprecedented Number Of Organizations Say "Yes" To Health Reform

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 18 Mar 2010 - 13:00 PDT

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An unprecedented diverse and large number of national organizations released a joint message to Congress urging the enactment of health care reform. The groups announced their support for the pending reform legislation at a press conference today and in two-page advertisements in Capitol Hill newspapers.

The hundreds of national groups represent such varying constituencies as physicians, nurses, hospitals, other health care providers, people with chronic conditions and disabilities, seniors, children, women, different religions, business, labor, communities of color, and health care consumers.

Examples of the signatory organizations participating in the joint message include the following:

- Disease and disability organizations: American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; American Diabetes Association; Autism Society of America; Easter Seals; Epilepsy Foundation; Mental Health America; National Down Syndrome Congress; National Multiple Sclerosis Society; Paralyzed Veterans of America; The ARC of the United States; and United Cerebral Palsy.

- Physicians and nurses organizations: American Academy of Family Physicians; American Academy of Pediatrics; American College of Physicians; American Nurses Association; Doctors for America; National Association of Hispanic Nurses; National Council of Asian & Pacific Islander Physicians; National Hispanic Medical Association; National Medical Association; and National Physicians Alliance.

- Organizations representing hospitals and other health care providers: American Hospice Foundation; American Psychological Association; American Public Health Association; Catholic Health Association of the United States; Federation of American Hospitals; National Association of Community Health Centers; and National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems.

- Seniors and children's organizations: Alliance for Retired Americans; Child Welfare League of America; Children's Defense Fund; Coalition on Human Needs; First Focus Campaign for Children; Medicare Rights Center; National Association of Area Agencies on Aging; National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare; National Council on Aging; National Hispanic Council on Aging; National Senior Citizens Law Center; Older Women's League; and Voices for America's Children.

- Religious organizations: American Friends Service Committee; B'nai B'rith International; Evangelicals for Social Action; National Council of Churches, USA Health Task Force; NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby; RESULTS; Union for Reform Judaism; Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations; and United Methodist Church-General Board of Church and Society.

- Women's organizations: Black Women's Health Imperative; League of Women Voters of the United States; MomsRising; National Congress of Black Women; National Council of Negro Women; National Partnership for Women and Families; National Women's Law Center; and Wider Opportunities for Women.

- Labor organizations: American Federation of Government Employees; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implementation Workers of America (UAW); National Education Association (NEA); Service Employees International Union (SEIU); and United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

- Groups representing communities of color: Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations; Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives; Hispanic Dental Association; Japanese American Citizens League; Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; NAACP; National Congress of American Indians; National Council of Urban Indian Health; National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives; National Indian Health Board; and Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition.

- Consumer organizations: Consumer Federation of America; Consumers' Checkbook; Consumers Union; Families USA; Family Voices; and National Consumers League.

"Never before has such a diverse and large number of national organizations joined together to support major health reform legislation," said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of consumer health organization Families USA, the group that coordinated the joint effort. "This demonstrates the growing conviction that meaningful health reform is essential for our nation and that the cost of doing nothing is much too high."

Pollack said that the number of organizations participating in this joint effort is expected to grow significantly by the end of this week. He indicated that numerous additional organizations are on the threshold of joining the effort, but those groups wanted to review the reconciliation legislation before they signed on.

Source
Families USA

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