Health Care for America Now presented Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) with a plaque in recognition of her leadership in support of health care reform and making sure all families in our country have access to quality and affordable health care insurance coverage. Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is the largest health care campaign in the country. At the gathering held at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Downtown, the congresswoman made the following remarks:
“Good Afternoon! Muy buenas tardes!!! Y muchas gracias por la oportunidad de estar aquí!!!
I extend my sincere thanks to the organizers of today’s event for bringing us together to celebrate the passage by the House of Representatives of the Affordable Health Care for America Act and for bringing us together to recommit ourselves to making sure the final bill passed by Congress has a strong public option.
Today’s organizers are:
• The Health Care for America Now Coalition
• Organizing for America and
• The Dolores Huerta Foundation
Other outstanding leaders of our community who are here today are:
Father Estrada—a champion for immigrant rights and the
disenfranchised
I also want to acknowledge the presence of our the Mayor Pro-tem of Maywood Anna Rosa Rizo.
We are fortunate to have such outstanding leaders and advocates for our community.
The passage of the House Health Care Bill which I am happy to say includes a PUBLIC OPTION is a major victory due to the unrelenting work of the Progressive, Hispanic, Black and Asian Caucuses, who fought for a public option against extensive lobbying to eliminate it.
Though we did not get all we wanted, the House bill is an important first step in addressing our broken health care system and preventing the tragedy of doing nothing.
If we do nothing it means:
– families in our community and across our nation will face a 50 percent chance of losing their insurance within the next ten years,
– it means families will see their health costs increase on average $1,800 every year
-it means families will continue to be denied health insurance due to pre-existing conditions
-and it means a person could lose their insurance when they get sick because their insurance company determines their illness is too costly.
To this injustice the House of Representatives has said: NO, Ya Basta by passing a bill that gives security to those that have insurance and access to coverage to the millions in our country who don’t.
That is certainly true for my 34th Congressional District—where the average annual household income is less than $36,000 and where 40 percent of my constituents are currently uninsured.
If the provisions in the House bill were to pass into law, it would provide access to 240,000 of my constituents who are currently uninsured.
It would also protect those in my district who have insurance but are finding it difficult to pay their high premiums and uncovered health care costs.
This can result in tragic consequences.
Last year for example, 1,120 families in my district alone were forced to file health care-related bankruptcies.
The Affordable Health Care for America Act will help seniors including the 4,100 in the 34th district who hit the Medicare Part D Donut hole every year and are required to pay the full cost of their medications which they already cannot afford.
The provision in the House bill would reduce by 50% the costs of brand name drugs and it will ultimately eliminate the donut hole altogether.
The House bill would also help our small businesses to be more competitive by providing tax credits of up to 50% of the cost of insurance for their employees.
In my district, this means over 15,000 small businesses would qualify for these credits.
In addition to these positive impacts the Affordable Health Care for America Act represents an achievement of another kind and a milestone in the advancement of civil rights for our community and other communities of color.
As Chair of the Health Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus,
I am proud that the bill aggressively takes on the challenge to reduce health disparities and improve minority access to culturally and linguistically competent care.
The bill accomplishes this by expanding Community Health Centers—which have been a cornerstone to communities of color.
And the House bill formalizes the Office of Minority Health and establishes Minority Health Offices throughout all agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services.
This will help ensure minority access to affordable and quality care is considered in every office of our nation’s public health system.
As co-chair of the Congressional Study Group on Public Health, I am also proud of the fact that for the first time federal health legislation prioritizes preventative and public health in our country and helps finance the training of the next generation of minority health care professionals.
This focus on prevention and culturally appropriate public health services is especially important to our Latino communities which are disproportionately affected by obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other preventable conditions.
This new focus on prevention and minority health is a huge victory for our community.
While this is a day of celebration, it is also a day to recommit ourselves to the hard work that lies ahead
As you know, in the House of Representatives, it was a battle to ensure that the House bill included a public option that would give real competition to the health insurance industry.
And It was a battle that I along with my colleagues in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had to fight to ensure that every person had the right to use their own hard-earned money to buy health insurance through the Exchange, which will be a new marketplace for buying health insurance plans.
These and other battles will be even more fierce in the Senate.
If we are to be victorious in the Senate, we need your active support and advocacy as we take the next step in our hard fought journey to achieve affordable, accessible and quality health care.
We need you to call the offices of your Senator and tell them you want a bill with a strong public option that includes the provisions of the House bill.
After you call your Senator, get five people to call their Senator and have them get five people to call their Senator.
It is also important that you ask your family and friends around the country to call their Senators and tell them to pass a Senate bill that includes a strong Public Option and the key provisions of the House passed bill.
Every call you make to your U.S. Senator counts.
You have the power to make a difference for your family, your children, your grandchildren, and the future of our country as a whole.
The power of positive change lies in your hands. And together we can and we will emerge victorious.
Muchas gracias! Lo lograremos juntos porque juntos si se puede!”
