UJC/Jewish Federations of North America met with the Secretary of Health and Human Services last week to talk about reforming health care. The meeting with Kathleen Sebelius was part of a two-day summit of the organization’s Health and Long-term Care Workgroup of federation leaders from across the country.
The "intimate conversation" took place in the UJC’s Washington offices, during which Sebelius updated the group on the progress of health-care reform legislation:
Secretary Sebelius expressed confidence the legislation would be enacted soon and reaffirmed to the Jewish leaders that health care reform is the President’s “number one” domestic issue and one that must be addressed in order to fix the economy. The Secretary also said the United States has a “moral imperative” to act and that it was no longer acceptable for any American to not have access to any kind of health care.
Additionally, the Secretary discussed with Workgroup members the importance of reforming the nation’s long-term care system — a top UJC priority in this year’s health care debate. She said any legislation Congress considers this year must provide additional opportunities for home-based and continual care that allows people to be more independent.
The organization also met with Lauren Aronson, policy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. The group’s full release about Sebelius and the summit is after the jump:[[READMORE]]
Jewish Leaders Make Health Care Priorities Known in Washington
HHS Secretary, White House Health Policy Director Among Those Who Hear Jewish Group’s Priorities for Health and Long-term Care Reform
WASHINGTON – Congress is poised to include many of the Jewish communities’ priorities in legislation to overhaul the nation’s dysfunctional healthcare system, says a leading Jewish advocacy organization directly involved in reform efforts.
UJC/Jewish Federations of North America hosted a two-day summit in Washington, D.C. of its Health and Long-term Care Workgroup, which is made up of federation leaders and executives from across the country who spearhead the Jewish community’s grassroots and political health care advocacy efforts. This year’s meetings were timed to deliver the Jewish community’s health care reform priorities to administration officials and lawmakers as legislation to overhaul the nation’s disparate system is in the final stages of development.
The Workgroup met with numerous Washington decision-makers including Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The HHS Secretary met with Jewish leaders at UJC/Jewish Federations of North America’s Washington office.
During their intimate conversation, the UJC group shared in detail their health and long-term care priorities, while the Secretary gave extensive insight and updates into the current state of the health care reform legislative negotiations.
Secretary Sebelius expressed confidence the legislation would be enacted soon and reaffirmed to the Jewish leaders that health care reform is the President’s “number one” domestic issue and one that must be addressed in order to fix the economy. The Secretary also said the United States has a “moral imperative” to act and that it was no longer acceptable for any American to not have access to any kind of health care.
Additionally, the Secretary discussed with Workgroup members the importance of reforming the nation’s long-term care system — a top UJC priority in this year’s health care debate. She said any legislation Congress considers this year must provide additional opportunities for home-based and continual care that allows people to be more independent.
The UJC Workgroup also met with Lauren Aronson, policy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Ms. Aronson shared Secretary Sebelius’ confidence for legislative action this year and echoed the President’s urgency to improve the nation’s health and long-term care system. Aronson also commented on the historic level of engagement in reform efforts from members of Congress and stakeholders, many of whom would not normally talk to one another on health care.
The UJC/Jewish Federations of North America’s Health and Long-term Care Workgroup also met with Representative John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman Emeritus, House Committee on Energy & Commerce; Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Senate Democratic Steering Committee; Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR); Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI), Representative Steve La Tourette (R-OH); Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA); Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD); and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).
In addition to general healthcare reform, among the many topics the UJC/Jewish Federations of North America group discussed in detail with Washington decision-makers was the need for increased access to long-term care, continued advances and acceptance of new technology throughout the medical community, as well as additional reforms to Medicaid, Medicare and other social safety-net programs for the nation’s most vulnerable. The Jewish leaders also expressed their strong support for the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act of 2009, which would create a voluntary disability insurance program for adults with long-term health care needs.
“The opportunity to provide needed and sweeping reforms to our nation’s health care system only occurs once every generation, therefore it is vital that reforms are more than cosmetic in nature,” says William C. Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of UJC/Jewish Federations of North America’s Washington office. “With the federation system’s experience, not only as a faith-based organization but also a leading healthcare provider, we strongly believe we have a unique perspective on this issue, and as a result, we set up these meetings to ensure the Jewish communities’ priorities were on the forefront of the administration’s and Congress’ minds as efforts move forward.”
Legislation to reform the nation’s health care system is expected to be introduced and considered by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives prior to this year’s August congressional district work period. President Obama has indicated that he hopes to sign bipartisan reforms into law by the end of September.
