Globe Newspapers

A Reliable
Voice in the
Community

Volume 6
Issue 15
June 24 - 30, 2009

Breaking News

Lee seeks feedback on health care reform

By Aqueila M. Lewis

Barbara Lee Health care experts, service providers and regional leaders in the health care community from throughout the Ninth Congressional District took part Monday in a roundtable discussion and dialogue on health care reform at Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland.

Hosted by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the forum allowed local leaders the opportunity to discuss health disparities and health care reform directly with Lee, who in turn provided feedback on reforming the nation’s health care system and discussed present efforts in Congress to reform the nation’s health care system. Also discussed were steps that are needed to reduce health disparities among minorities throughout the United States.

Barbara Lee Invited guests included panelists and representatives from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, California Physicians Alliance, Physicians Medical Forum, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Davita Dialysis.

“As we all know, when it comes to health care, we are facing a severe crisis in America,” Lee said. “Here in my district, as in the United States, there are profound inequities in health insurance coverage between various racial and ethnic groups. Clearly we’ve got to do something to fix our broken health care system and to ensure that it takes care of us.”

Barbara Lee Earlier this month, Lee joined colleagues of the Congressional TriCaucus — which includes the Congressional Black Caucus, of which Lee is chairwoman, the Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — in reintroducing the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2009. The bill is designed to reduce racial and ethnic disparities while improving the national health care system.

“I’m pleased that President Obama has continued to emphasize the importance of reforming our health care system and that he has made it an urgent priority for his administration to finally get enacted into law — this year,” said Lee.

Attendees were given copies of Congressional Black Caucus fact sheets and the summary of the House of Representatives
discussion draft reform bill that includes a public health insurance option such as Medicare. According to Lee, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is committed to legislation to pass the health care reform before the August break.

Lee also will reintroducing her single payer national health bill, HR 3000, the Josephine Butler United States Health Service Act, which would provide universal health care to all Americans, at a cost of just about $3,000 each.

“For too long our health care system has rewarded the industry that runs it at the expense of the people it is intended to serve,” Lee said. “Thanks to President Obama, now we’ve finally got a chance to fix that. Help us to get it right.”