August 2009

In this Issue: Features | Partner Spotlight | Calendar | Welcome New Partners | In the News | Interesting Information | Contact Us

Real Health Care Reform Equals a Healthier America

By Billy Tauzin, President and CEO
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

President Obama's call for health reform is sorely needed and is something this country should embrace. We have toiled under the heavy burden of needed reform without consensus for too many years. Meanwhile, costs continue to rise with an estimated $2.2 trillion a year spent on health care. Yet, approximately 46 million Americans are uninsured, and the number is growing. Of this figure, California has more uninsured individuals and families than any other state -- now reaching more than 6.7 million uninsured Californians.

Studies have shown conclusively that uninsured families delay and forego needed medical care because of cost -- resulting in poor quality and worse health outcomes. This not only causes needless suffering for those without health insurance, it also is inefficient and costly. This and other factors have pushed our health care system to the breaking point. Read more

BIOCOM

Mission
BIOCOM's mission statement is to position the Southern California life sciences community to achieve individual and collective success on the world stage of scientific and technological innovation, and in the development of products that improve global health and quality of life.

About
BIOCOM is the largest regional life science association in the world, representing more than 575 member companies in Southern California. The association focuses on initiatives that positively influence the region's life science community in the development and delivery of innovative products that improve health and quality of life. This includes initiatives in capital formation, public policy, workforce development, group purchasing and member services such as networking events.

Web site
www.biocom.org

CPAT Seminars:

San Gabriel Valley Roundtable on Obesity
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Grace T. Black Auditorium
3130 N. Tyler Ave.
El Monte, CA 91731

RSVP Required

Please RSVP to Lorena Sanchez at (323) 349-0661 or lorena@victorgriego.com

Check out our CPAT partner events occurring this month!

• Amrit Davaa World Health Corp.
• Clinica Medica San Miguel
• Community Partner Council (CPC)
• Crystal Stairs, Inc.
• Goodwill Industries of Southern California
• Hip Hop Beverage Corp.
• Northeast Valley Health Corporation - Chronic Disease Program
• Providence Center for Community Health Improvement
• ShopAndContribute.org
• UCLA Early Head Start
• 4 individual partners

Obama shifts focus in health care debate
San Francisco Chronicle, July 23, 2009
President Obama, facing a critical juncture in his presidency, used a prime-time news conference Wednesday to shift the focus of health care reform from insuring the uninsured to protecting the coverage of those who already have it.

Prime-time push for health care reform
Modesto Bee, July 22, 2009
President Barack Obama on Wednesday tried hard to create momentum for his ailing health care overhaul plan, offering a lengthy, methodical -- and at times defensive -- explanation of why people should embrace his changes.

Health bill may be a compromise
Paradise Post, July 23, 2009
Polls show the American people believe the current health care system is too costly and is unsustainable. People want a plan to cover everyone and don't want pre-existing conditions to prevent care. Finally, they agree there is redundancy and abuse in the system either caused by defensive medicine or greed.

Health care debate: Bakersfield reacts to Obama plan
KGET-TV (Bakersfield), July 22, 2009
President Barack Obama is again urging the country to get behind his plan for health care reform. During a prime time news conference, President Obama told the nation he wants all Americans to have access to affordable health care. President Obama said his idea would allow people to keep their current plans and workers could take insurance with them if they switched jobs. He said health reform is key to economic recovery, however, several Bakersfield residents and even a doctor question where the money is going to come from

Obama says health care reform shouldn't wait
Los Angeles Times, July 22, 2009
As he fends off charges from critics that he's rushing through health care overhaul, President Barack Obama is defending his decision to push for a plan from Congress by an August deadline. Obama says he's heard from Americans who need immediate relief and who are facing severe financial hardships because of medical costs. And he said that the longer the process drags on, the more time there is for special interests to put up roadblocks.

Obama makes his health reform pitch
Ventura County Star, July 23, 2009
With six months in office, President Barack Obama sought Wednesday night to rally support for sweeping healthcare legislation he's struggling to push through Congress, expressing support for a surtax on families making more than $1 million a year to help pay for it.

Healthcare reform legislation is a top of mind priority for everyone. Congress is debating major policy changes to ensure all Americans have access to affordable, personal and quality care. We know that a stronger healthcare system equals a healthier state and nation. Below are facts and figures regarding healthcare and treatment in California.

• Roughly 19.7 million people in California get health insurance on the job [1], where family premiums average $13,297, about the annual earning of a full-time minimum wage job. [2]

• Since 2000 alone, average family premiums have increased by 114 percent in California. [3]

• Household budgets are strained by high costs: 19 percent of middle-income California families spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care. [4]

• 19 percent of people in California are uninsured, and 71 percent of them are in families with at least one full-time worker. [7]

• The percent of Californians with employer coverage is declining: from 58 to 54 percent between 2000 and 2007. [8]

• While small businesses make up 77 percent of California businesses, [9] only 46 percent of them offered health coverage benefits in 2006. [10]

• Choice is even more limited for people with pre-existing conditions. In California, premiums can vary based on demographic factors and health status, and coverage can exclude pre-existing conditions or even be denied completely in some cases. [11]

To learn more, please visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Reform Web site.

1. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. HIA-4 Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by State--All Persons: 1999 to 2007, 2007.

2. Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2006, Table X.D. Projected 2009 premiums based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "National Health Expenditure Data," available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/nationalhealthexpenddata/.

3. Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2000, Table II.D.1. Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2006, Table X.D. Projected 2009 premiums based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "National Health Expenditure Data," available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/nationalhealthexpenddata/.

4. Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2006.

7. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. Annual Social and Economic Supplements, March 2007 and 2008.

8. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. HIA-4 Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by State--All Persons: 1999 to 2007, 2007.

9. Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2006, Table II.A.1a.

10. Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2001, 2006, Table II.A.2.

11. Health Care for America Now. (2009). "Premiums Soaring in Consolidated Health Insurance Market." Health Care for America Now.

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