President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010 — the biggest proposed change in U.S. health care since the Medicare and Medicaid programs were adopted more than 45 years ago. Over the past year, the path leading to health reform has been a serious point of debate among legislators, Americans, experts, judges — and hospitals. Amid the stepping stones of progress are stumbling blocks that threaten to steer reform efforts off course. Nevertheless, IHA is committed to helping members navigate through the difficult, long and winding road ahead with thoughtful analysis, advocacy, tools, and resources.
Hospitals and health systems are the backbone of the country’s health care system, bringing needed assets to improve the quality of patient care as we journey to a new “normal” in health care delivery. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for the complexities of health care reform but there is a common compass – one that designs care to meet the specific needs of its community and the patients it serves.
And all people deserve this essential partnership between hospitals and health systems with government to provide health care services to the poor, disabled, children, and the elderly, by providing needed coverage for basic health care needs. The goal of health reform to improve coverage remains an essential tenet of the legislation at the one year anniversary and needs to be preserved.
This is not easy when the state’s empty budget coffers and the need for Medicaid savings further threatens to erode our ability to provide essential services and acutely compounds the loss of billions in federal Medicare and Medicaid cuts to Illinois hospitals over the 10 years of the reform legislation.
Despite one’s personal view on the health reform debate, we do share one common goal – that quality and safe health care is accessible and available when we or a loved on needs it. That is the commitment of our hospitals and health systems as we go down the road of health care reform.
