An Invitation from Faithful Reform in Health Care:

Help celebrate the 1st anniversary of health care reform!

Sign the Petition "What I Like about Health Care Reform" that will be delivered to Congress and state lawmakers during the week celebrating the  first anniversary of health care reform.

When the Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, 2010, the foundation was laid on which our nation could finally build a health system that includes everyone and works well for all of us.  We took the first steps toward a vision of a more compassionate and just health care future that contributes to the common good. 

None of us got everything we wanted in health care reform; all of us want to see improvements.  But civil discourse has eluded us; partisan conflict separates those who want to repeal everything because they disagree with particular provisions and those who want to implement what works and improve what doesn't.

One of the Faithful Reform in Health Care contributions to this debate was the development of “A Faith-Inspired Vision of Health Care” -- a statement that supports values-based dialogue and transcends political ideologies.  This Vision Statement now helps frame our consideration of health care reform and what the new law means for us both as individuals and our national community as a whole.

The provisions highlighted in the petition below were selected because of their relevance to the Vision Statement and because of the broad support for them.  You are urged to sign this petition -- and invite others to do so -- to help demonstrate the widespread support for these provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Sign the petition now!

Print a copy of the petition

          Petition: What I Like about Health Care Reform  
 
I like these provisions of health care reform and celebrate that they contribute to a vision for a more compassionate health care future that is inclusive, affordable, accessible and accountable.

Vision - Inclusive Health Care: Health care is a shared responsibility that is grounded in our common humanity.

• Children under age 19 can no longer be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
• Young adults up to age 26 can stay on parents' policies that go into effect after 9/23/10, unless thay are offered coverage at work.
• See more...

Vision - Affordable Health Care:  Health care must contribute to the common good by being affordable for individuals, families and society as a whole.

• Medicare enrollees now receive wellness and prevention benefits with no cost-sharing or co-pays.  They also are receiving discounts for their medications when they reach the gap (doughnut hole) in their Medicare prescription drug coverage.  
• Key preventive care, such as mammograms, colonoscopies, immunizations, pre-natal and new baby care will be covered without co-pays or deductibles in new plans.
• See more...

Vision - Accessible Health Care:  All persons should have access to health services that provide necessary care and contribute to wellness.

• Women now have direct access to OB/GYNs without a referral.
• Lifetime limits on insurance payouts are now eliminated; annual limits are greatly restricted and will eventually be eliminated.
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Expanded funding for community health centers will increase access to medical care in under-served areas.
• See more...

Vision - Accountable Health Care:  Our health care system must be accountable, offering a quality, equitable and sustainable means of keeping us healthy as individuals and as a community.

• Insurance companies can no longer drop people from coverage because of illness.
• Members of Congress and their staff members will receive their health insurance from the same exchanges.
• See more...

Sign the petition now!

 Hope for our health care future

Passing the new law is a beginning – not an end. Transforming our broken system of health care will require the same kind of vision and investment that led to modernizing other systems in our country’s infrastructure.  We created a power grid, phone systems, water systems, and interstate highways that improved our life together and served the common good.  Society as a whole, and the individuals within it, flourished.  Our health system, however, still operates with the equivalent of individual generators, scattered wells, and meandering roads. 

With a new vision and a shared commitment to fulfill it, we can create a health care system that sustains our collective well-being.  The Affordable Care Act is the first step of this journey.