Reports
Supporters of the Affordable Health Care for America Act
11/06/2009
On Thursday, the American Medical Association (AMA), American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and AARP announced support for the Affordable Health Care for America Act.
In their letter announcing support for the health reform legislation, the American Medical Association highlighted the following "essential elements":
Expanding coverage: H.R. 3962 will raise the percentage of legal, non-elderly residents with insurance coverage from 83 percent to 96 percent.
Insurance market reforms: The legislation eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions and lifetime limits on total spending, does not allow insurers to vary premiums based on health status, and expands choice and access to coverage for those who are self-insured or employed by small businesses.
Patient-physician decision making: Expanded coverage and choice will empower patient and physician decision making. H.R. 3962 is consistent with our principles of pluralism, freedom of choice, freedom of physician practice, and universal access.
Investments in quality, prevention, and wellness: The legislation provides additional resources to achieve these goals and, importantly, treats quality improvement as an investment in our nation’s health care system.
AARP on their endorsement:
Today AARP announced its endorsement of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and the accompanying Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act (H.R. 3961). The Association’s support follows nearly two years of work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to craft a health care reform plan that meets the needs of AARP’s nearly 40 million members and all older Americans. Among those needs are reforms that strictly curb insurance companies’ discrimination against older Americans and Medicare improvements that strengthen benefits while protecting the program for future generations.
“We started this debate more than two years ago with the twin goals of making coverage affordable to our younger members and protecting Medicare for seniors,” said AARP CEO Barry Rand. “We’ve read the Affordable Health Care for America Act and we can say with confidence that it meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage.”
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) on their support:
The House bill takes a number of steps to improve health care for cancer patients and their families by refocusing the system to emphasize prevention, ending the practice of denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions, limiting the cost burden on families by providing care that covers more and costs less and emphasizing patients’ quality of life.
In an open letter to Congress on Friday, eleven leading health care economists announced their support for the Affordable Health Care for America Act writing, “the legislation the House will vote on in the coming days will guarantee security of coverage, limit the costs of care, create incentives for improved quality of care, and set us on the path towards sustainable economic growth.” The letter was signed by:
Dr. Henry J. Aaron, The Brookings Institution
Dr. Mike Chernew, Harvard University Medical School
Dr. David Cutler, Harvard University
Dr. Judy Feder, Georgetown University, Center for American Progress Action Fund
Dr. Dana Goldman, University of Southern California
Dr. Jonathan Gruber, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Len Nichols, The New America Foundation
Dr. Alice Rivlin, The Brookings Institution
Dr. Meredith Rosenthal, Harvard University School of Public Health
Dr. Jonathan Skinner, Dartmouth College
Dr. Katherine Swartz, Harvard University School of Public Health
They join the following groups representing millions of Americans in support of the House legislation to reduce health care costs, protect and increase consumers’ choices, and guarantee access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans:
AARP
Advocacy Action Network of Kentucky
AdvocacyDenver
Advocates for Youth
AFL-CIO
AFSCME
AFSCME, District Council 37 Health & Security Plan
AIDS Action Council
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
AIDS Institute
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, Inc.
Alabama ARISE
Alliance for Children and Families
Alliance for Retired Americans
American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology
American Academy of Dermatology and AAD Association
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Physician’s Assistants
American Art Therapy Association
American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence
American Association of Health and Disability
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
American Cancer Society – Cancer Action Network
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians
American College of Surgeons
American Counseling Association
American Diabetes Association
American Federation of Teachers
American Gastroenterological Association
American Group Psychotherapy Association
American Heart Association – American Stroke Association
American Medical Association
American Medical Student Association
American Mental Health Counselors Association
American Nurses Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychological Association
American Psychotherapy Association
American Public Health Association
American Society for Radiation Oncology
American Society of Addiction Medicine
American Society of Anesthesiologists
American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
American Thoracic Society
Americans for Democratic Action
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
Arapahope Community Team
Arc of the United States
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian Americans for Community Involvement
Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare
Association for Community Affiliated Plans
Association for the Advancement of Psychology
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
Autism Society of America
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Betty Ford Center
Betty Ford Institute
Beyond the Divide
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Black Youth Vote
Boston Public Health Commission
California Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors
California Foundation for the Advancement of Addiction Professionals
California Muscogee (Creek) Association
California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB)
Campaign for America’s Future
Campaign for Better Health Care
Campaign for Mental Health Reform
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Campus Progress
Carter Center Mental Health Program
Catholic Healthcare West
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Center for Clinical Social Work/ABE
Center for Community Change
Center for Health Care Policy, Research and Analysis
Center for Health care Services (San Antonio, Texas)
Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc.
Center for People in Need
Center for Public Policy Priorities
Center for Rural Affairs
Central New York Citizens In Action, Inc.
Cerebral Palsy Association of Ohio
Child and Family Policy Center
Child Welfare League of America
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Children Now
Children’s Partnership
Choice USA
Citizen Action of New York
Citizen Action of Wisconsin
Clinical Social Work Association
Clinical Social Work Guild 49, OPEIU
Coalition for Whole Health
Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups
Coalition on Human Needs
Colorado AIDS Project
Colorado Citizens for Accountability
Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved
Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance
Columbia Valley Community Health
Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis
Community Advocates, Milwaukee, WI
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
Community Catalyst
Community Service Society of NY
Connecticut Voices for Children
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
Consumer Health Coalition
Consumers for Affordable Health Care Coalition
Consumers Union
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Cumberland Heights
CWA
Delta Center for Independent Living
Democracia AHORA
Democracy for America
Demos
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
Doctors for America
Easter Seals
Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action
Ecu-Health Care, Inc
Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, George Washington University
Entertainment Industries Council
Faces and Voices of Recovery
Families USA
Family Health Centers/Centros de Salud Familiar
Family Voices
Family Voices of California
Federation of American Hospitals
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
First Focus
Florida CHAIN
Forward Montana
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Friends of SAMHSA
Generational Alliance
Gloucester Fisherman’s Wives Association
Hazelden Foundation
Health Access California
Health Action New Mexico
Health Care for All
Health Care for America NOW
Health Care for America NOW – Southern Oregon Coalition
Herndon Alliance
HIV Medicine Association
Hmong National Development, Inc.
International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium
International Community Health Services
Iowa Farmers Union
Kentucky Equal Justice Center
Kentucky Mental Health Coalition
Lana’I Community Health Center
Leadership Council of Aging Organizations
Legal Action Center
Louisiana Consumer Health Coalition
Lutheran Office on Public Policy
Main Street Alliance
Maine Center for Economic Policy
Maine Equal Justice Partners
Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative
Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
McShin Foundation
Medicare Rights Center
Medication Assisted Recovery (MARS) Project
Mental Health America
Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign
MichUHCAN (Michigan Universal Health Care Access Network)
Mississippi Center for Justice
Mississippi Health Advocacy Program
MoveOn.org Political Action
NAACP
NAADAC – The Association for Addiction Professionals
National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc.
National Alliance for Medication (NAMA) Recovery
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National American Indian Housing Council
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
National Assembly on School-Based Health Care
National Association for Children of Alcoholics
National Association for State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors
National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders-ANAD
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
National Association of Counties
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
National Association of Drug Court Professionals
National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils
National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Social Workers, Maine Chapter
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
National Breast Cancer Coalition
National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National Congress of American Indians
National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
National Council of Negro Women
National Council of Urban Indian Health
National Council on Aging
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
National Disability Rights Network
National Education Association (NEA)
National Family Farm Coalition
National Farmer’s Union
National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
National Foundation for Mental Health
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Indian Health Board
National League of Cities
National Medical Association
National PACE Association
National Patient Advocate Foundation
National Research Center for Women & Families
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
National Student Assistance Association
Native American Health Center, Inc.
NCADD-NJ
Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest
Nebraska Association of Public Employees/AFSCME
NeuroDevelopment Center
Nevada Covering Kids and Families
New England Serve
New Hampshire Voices for Health
New Jersey Citizen Action
New Mexico Voices for Children
New Orleans Medical Association
North Carolina Justice Center
North East Medical Services
NWO/UHCAN
NYC for Change
Ocean State Action
Oregon Partnership
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Partnership for Prevention
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
Pennsylvania Health Law Project
PHI – Health Care for Health Care Workers
Philadelphia Unemployment Project
Physicians and Lawyers for National Drug Policy
Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation, Kansas
Progressive Future
Progressive Research and Action Center, Inc
ProgressOhio
Rebecca Project for Human Rights
RI Family to Family Health Information Center
Rock the Vote
Saban Free Clinic
Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc.
Seattle Indian Health Board
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Small Business Majority
South Carolina Appleseed
South Carolina Fair Share
South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce
State Associations of Addiction Services
Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, a Division of AFSP
Take Action Minnesota
Teamsters Union 25 Health Services & Insurance Plan
TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups
Tennessee Health Care Campaign
Therapeutic Communities of America
Toledo Area Jobs with Justice Coalition
Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc,
U.S. PIRG
U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG)
U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce
UHCAN Ohio
Union for Reform Judaism
United Auto Workers
United Cerebral Palsy
United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
United Neighborhood Centers of America
United Spinal Association
United States Conference of Mayors
United Steel Workers
Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio – UHCAN Ohio
University Centers on Disability
USAction
Utah Health Policy Project
Valley View Health Center, Chehalis, Washington
Vermont Family Network/ Family Voices of Vermont
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
Virginia Organizing Project
Voices for America’s Children
Voices for Vermont's Children
Voto Latino
Washington CAN!
Washington Community Action Network
Watershed Addiction Treatment Centers
Wellstone Action
West Virginians for Affordable Health Care
Witness Justice