CONTACT: Karen Kahn, karenkahn33@outlook.com, (978) 740-9844
The Right Care Alliance is a growing movement of doctors, nurses, medical students, patients and community activists dedicated to changing health care delivery in the United States into an effective, affordable, humane and just system that provides the right care for all. The alliance held its National Congress, May 7, in Boston, MA.
The following statement comes from the newly formed Right Care Alliance steering committee (individuals listed below).
“The Right Care Alliance is deeply opposed to the American Health Care Act, which, if it were to become law, would leave millions without any real access to care. By removing protections for people with preexisting conditions and reducing federal support for Medicaid, the bill ensures that millions of people will lose coverage, and many will die. This is unworthy of a great nation.
“While the Affordable Care Act does not do enough to reduce costs or improve care, the American Health Care Act is a devastating step in the wrong direction. It does nothing to address skyrocketing health care costs that are bankrupting American families, burdening American businesses, and stifling economic growth. It does nothing to curb rampant corruption throughout the health care industry, inequitable access to care, or outrageous prices for everything from medications to hospital services.
“Instead, the American Health Care Act guts funding for the Medicaid program, which today provides health coverage for 75 million Americans–nearly one in four–in order to provide a giant tax cut for the wealthy. This amounts to a redistribution of wealth from the bottom third of income earners to the top 1 percent. This is unacceptable. Health care is a human right, not a commodified privilege, and we must demand a health system that is drastically redesigned around the principles of Right Care:
- Universal coverage and access with rational payment systems
- Primary care for all
- Respect for patients as informed decision makers about their care
- Transparent information concerning costs and outcomes that matter to patients
- A focus on prevention of illness and disability
- Public investment in programs and policies that effectively address the social factors that undermine health
- Empowered and informed communities that control the systems that serve them
“The American Healthcare Act, in its failure to adhere to these principles, should never become law.”
The Right Care Steering Committee
CO-CHAIRS
Shannon Brownlee, MSc, Vice President, Lown Institute
Vikas Saini, MD, President, Lown Institute
MEMBERS
Poppy Arford, Patient Advocate, Brunswick, ME
Marlene Beggelman, MD, Cambridge, MA
Kim DiGioia, Washington, DC
Maia Dorsett, MD, Ph.D, St. Louis, MO
Stuart Fisk, RN, Pittsburgh, PA
Jonathan Jimenez, MD, Durham, NC
Jane Muir, RN, Charlotte, VA
Theresa Ojala, RN, Kingman, AZ
Casey Quinlan, Journalist, Richmond, VA
Selwyn Rogers, MD, Chicago, IL
Surafel Tsega, MD, New York, NY