Health Care

Legislative Letters

2011 Legislative Letters

2010 Legislative Letters

    Appropriations Request (July 2010)
    As the new health reform law is implemented, more individuals will obtain coverage and changes to the health care delivery system will improve quality. It is essential that data on race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability status are collected to ensure disparities in health care access and quality are identified and addressed, and that programs are designed from the outset to serve the most vulnerable populations.

    The Affordable Care Act included a provision requiring demographic data collection, but unfortunately we can’t actually implement this important requirement unless Congress appropriates money to fund it. So the National Partnership joined forces with like-minded organizations in urging Congress to allocate $50 million for data collection by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of Minority Health, three agencies that play an integral role in addressing disparities and assuring high quality health care. Read more here.

    Berwick Nomination (June 2010)
    The National Partnership, through its Campaign for Better Care, rallied broad, multi-stakeholder support behind the nomination of Don Berwick, M.D., to the position of Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Dr. Berwick is one of the nation's leading authorities on health care quality and improvement, and his proven experience in leading health care delivery system transformations makes him uniquely suited for the CMS Administrator’s role in implementing the Affordable Care Act. Read more here.