Friends,
Too many Americans are suffering under a health care system that does not work for them. Americans in minority communities have higher levels of disease, fewer medical options, and worse outcomes. That’s why, today, I will be at the White House participating in a Health Care Stakeholder Discussion, focusing on how health reform can reduce health disparities and fix the status quo.
You can watch the event live today at 12:00 PM EDT by visiting www.HealthReform.gov. While you are there, you can also read a new report being released by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Disparities: A Case for Closing the Gap.
The findings in the report are disturbing. The new report highlights the effects of a health care system that does not work for millions of Americans. Under the status quo:
- 48% of African-American adults suffer from a chronic disease compared to 39% of the general population
- 15% of African Americans, 14% of Hispanics, and 18% of American Indians suffer from adult onset diabetes, compared with 8% of the white population
- 20% of low-income Hispanic youth have gone a year without a health care visit – a rate three times higher than that for high-income whites
As Congress considers health reform legislation this summer, these statistics should remind us that reform cannot be postponed another year. Please join me in working to reduce health disparities in America. Join the conversation by visiting www.HealthReform.gov and sharing your story or idea about the importance of passing health reform this year.
Thank you for your commitment and support as we work towards creating a health care system that better serves all Americans.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Reuters: President Barack Obama set up an executive office for healthcare reform at the White House on Wednesday, saying the overhaul was one of the biggest priorities for the first year of his presidency. The White House Office of Health Reform (Health Reform Office) will help the executive branch steer "the federal government's comprehensive effort to improve access to health care, the quality of such care, and the sustainability of the health care system," the order reads.
It also says the Secretary of Health and Human Services will create an Office of Health Reform to work with the White House office.
"WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - Reform of the U.S. healthcare system is vital this year because of growing costs and worsening care, the Health and Human Services Department said in a report on Monday.
The HHS report, published at www.healthreform.gov, compiles findings of dozens of studies that have been used to justify calls for a complete overhaul of the healthcare system."
While the need for change is not controversial, conservatives and liberals differ on how that should be approached. President Barack Obama has said he wants legislation this year but is leaving the details up to Congress to work out.
"Today's report outlines the high cost of waiting to fix a system that has left too many Americans without the affordable, quality care they deserve," HHS spokeswoman Jenny Backus said in a statement.
The report points out that the United States spent $2.2 trillion on healthcare in 2007, or $7,421 per capita. Healthcare accounts for more than 16 percent of gross domestic product, nearly twice the average of other developed nations.
Healthcare costs doubled from 1996 to 2006, and are projected to rise to 25 percent of GDP in 2025; 49 percent by 2082 if something does not change.
"Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have more than doubled in the last nine years," the report reads. "As a result of these crushing health care costs, American businesses are losing their ability to compete in the global marketplace."
More than 160 million Americans get health insurance through employers. "Health care at General Motors puts the company at a $5 billion disadvantage against Toyota (7203.T), which spends $1,400 less on health care per vehicle," the report added -- quoting former General Motors Corp's (GM.N) chief executive officer Rick Wagoner. [ID:nSP207882]
"In spite of the vast resources invested, the health care system has not yet reached the goal of high-quality care," the report said.
"Across 37 performance indicators, the United States achieved an overall score of 65 out of a possible 100," it said, citing the non-profit Commonwealth Foundation. The Obama administration has relied heavily on such reports in setting its healthcare strategy.
|
