The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has launched a new web site that invites Americans to share their thoughts about health reform with the Obama administration and sign a statement supporting enactment of comprehensive health reform this year. Also included on the site are video from the White House Health Forum held Thursday, March 5, and a new report, Americans Speak on Health Reform: Report on Health Care Community Discussions.
In December, then President-elect Obama called on the American people to host health care community discussions to assess the seriousness of the problems facing the healthcare system and identify solutions. Group reports from 3,276 community discussions as well as surveys from 30,603 participants were collected, analyzed, and are summarized in the Americans Speak on Health Reform report.
The cost of healthcare services and health insurance was the top concern about the healthcare system for 55 percent of discussion participants. Participants also cited lack of emphasis on prevention, pre-existing conditions limiting insurance access, and the quality of care as key concerns.
The report is available on the new web site, www.healthreform.gov.
