Policy Pick: Health Care Reform in AmericaMarch 29, 2010 |
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 America's children and families finally got some good news last week. After months of contentious debate in Washington, Congress passed health care reform, and the massive overhaul has been lauded by many politicians as the Civil Rights Bill of the 21st Century. It also holds the distinction of being the most comprehensive piece of legislation since the 1965 Medicare bill.The law -- the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) and the Health Care & Education Affordability Reconciliation Act (H.R. 4872) -- will have a dramatic impact in California. "As many as 2 million low-income Californians would be newly enrolled in Medi-Cal and other public coverage programs and another two to three million would obtain private coverage," said Mark Smith, president and CEO of California Health Care Foundation. The legislation will ease a major burden for many California families trying to manage the high cost of health care. It will also provide funding for prevention services, home visitation programs, and services for maternal depression. Deena Lahn, policy director of the Children's Defense Fund of California, agrees that the legislation couldn't have come at a more opportune time. "In 2009, approximately 1.5 million California kids were uninsured -- an increase of 400,000 children in just over two years," Lahn said. With the passage of the legislation, "working families will finally have affordable health care options for their children, including free preventive care," Lahn stated. For more information regarding health care reform, please contact Palanda Brownlow, policy analyst, at PBrownlow@First5LA.org. |
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