A Historic Step Forward
On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the NuHealth System, I congratulate the Congress for passing and President Obama for signing into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. This legislation achieves a goal that has previously eluded our government: making affordable high quality health care coverage available to each and every citizen of the United States.
For 75 years, the NuHealth System has provided high quality health care to very vulnerable populations. We have filled the vast gaps in our social safety net, delivering health care to patients who have few resources and limited access to other providers. The passage of this legislation honors the work of our practitioners by providing every American, regardless of wealth or status, the best possible chance to live a long and healthy life.
The adoption of this legislation is really the beginning of what will be a long and complex national journey that will culminate, ultimately, in a health care delivery system that will look very different than it does today. Thirty-two million more Americans will have comprehensive health insurance. Americans will no longer be dropped from coverage because of pre-existing conditions, nor will they fear that unemployment will make obtaining coverage financially ruinous. Insurance companies will have to play by a fair set of rules. Providers will offer greater access to primary and preventive care. Medicare will be financially strengthened. And seniors will have full prescription drug coverage.
Over the course of this journey, NuHealth will continue to evolve, preparing to meet the challenges of the next 75 years. We will become a clinically integrated health care system, one which is committed to truly managing the care of our population by providing easy access to high quality, services. And we will deliver those services in a way that is both efficient and sensitive to the vulnerabilities and cultural differences of our patients. The health care reform fight may be far from over, but the passage of this historic legislation is a critical first step, and we look forward to continuing our mission to bring essential care to everyone, at every stage of life.
Huffington Post article on health care reform for New York-Gianelli provides perspectives:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-r-knickman/health-reform-passed-what_b_512973.html
