Election Settles Key Issues about the Future Directions for Health Care and Clarifies the Challenges that Lie Ahead

The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of the consumer health organization Families USA, about the election’s impact on the future of health care:

“The election has settled key issues about the directions that our nation’s health care will take: It means that ObamaCare will be implemented, the Medicaid safety net will be strengthened, and Medicare’s guaranteed benefits will not be undermined.

“As a result, people across America will gain peace of mind knowing that high-quality, affordable health care will be there for themselves and their loved ones.

“The resolution of these key health care issues also clarifies a number of important challenges that lie ahead.

“For ObamaCare, the big challenge will be enrolling tens of millions of uninsured people in new health coverage. Since most of the uninsured are unaware of the new coverage opportunities that begin in January 2014, this will require a broad public education campaign coupled with a strong enrollment infrastructure.

“An important challenge also lies ahead now that states can expand their Medicaid programs to more low-income adults. To enable this to happen, the federal government is providing unprecedented fiscal support to the states: 100 percent funding of expansion costs in the first three years, and never less than 90 percent thereafter.

“This guarantee is essential for governors as they decide whether their programs should cover more low-income adults. It is therefore crucial that upcoming federal budget decisions give governors clear assurances that this funding is stable and won’t be reduced.

“As long-overdue health coverage expansions move forward, another challenge that must be addressed is how to make America’s health care system much more efficient and effective.

“An efficient health care system cannot be achieved through cost shifts to states and public program enrollees, as the House of Representatives tried to do in the past Congress. That approach simply shifts burdens to those who can’t bear them and does nothing to improve health care in America.

“Making our health care system work more efficiently and effectively now deserves our most urgent attention.”

###

Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005
202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org