[NYAPRS Enews] ACMHA: Rep Kennedy Pushes for Holistic Care, Prevention at Obama Health Forum

[Matt Canuteson]

NYAPRS Note: The following letter from United States Congressman Patrick
J. Kennedy comes from the American College of Mental Health
Administrators (ACMHA) thanks to Ron Manderscheid. Rep. Kennedy writes,
"prevention and holistic care are the cornerstones of a meaningful and
sustainable health care reform.  We need to shift our health care system
from the current 'sick-care' system to one which is patient-centered,
collaborative, and focused on prevention."

Dear Friends:

As you may know, the President held a White House Forum on Health Reform
today.  The Forum included the President, senior White House officials,
Members of Congress, stakeholders, and Americans across the country.
The President provided a unique opportunity for an open and engaging
dialogue on how to address the challenges of health care costs,
coverage, and quality.  After the President's remarks, participants
joined breakout groups.  My group was moderated by Peter Orszag,
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, Eric K. Shinseki.

It was an honor to be invited by the President, and to have the
opportunity to represent the views which I know are not only critical to
Rhode Islanders, but to our nation as a whole.  I have spent my career,
with your trusted support and dedication, advocating for affordable,
quality health care for all citizens. Today we stand at a pivotal
moment, a moment where the forces pushing for health care reform are as
aligned as they have only been but a few times in our nation's history.
A moment when there is bipartisan agreement on the need for the change,
and a public momentum and demand for reform.   Today's forum was yet one
more indication of the President's commitment to meaningful health care
reform, and I believe that this will be, indeed, the year for change.  

During the discussions, I emphasized the imperativeness of prevention
and holistic care as the cornerstones of a meaningful and sustainable
health care reform.  We need to shift our health care system from the
current "sick-care" system to one which is patient-centered,
collaborative, and focused on prevention.  This means a re-incentivizing
of the current payment system, an investment in the proven public health
strategies aimed at disease prevention, and a complete shifting of the
current paradigm so we treat each patient's whole body in order to
prevent chronic illness and manage multiple, interrelated and ongoing
health problems.  

Until our health care system treats health as a whole body initiative,
we cannot get a handle on costs-a health care reform which does not
recognize the connections between mind and body is not a health care
reform that will be successful or sustainable. The scientific evidence
has long existed to show that this separation does not work-it is not
cost effective, it is not evidence-based, and it is not working. Though
our country spends 16 percent of its gross domestic product on health
care - more per capita than any other nation in the world - the U.S.
ranks 29th in infant mortality, 48th in life expectancy and 19th out of
19 industrialized nations in preventable deaths.  Last year, we spent
$2.1 trillion on medical care, and 95 cents of every dollar was spent to
treat disease after it had occurred.  At least 75% of these costs were
spent on treating chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes,
which are not only preventable, but in many cases reversible.  

As I continue to work with the Administration and my Congressional
colleagues, I will continue to rely on your dedicated expertise and
advocacy efforts.   I thank you for all you have done so far and I look
forward to continuing to work with you as we enter what I hope to be one
of the meaningful moments in United States history-the moment when no
American will ever have to choose again between seeking housing, food,
or medical treatment.  It is unjustifiable for even one person to be
faced with such a draconian choice in a country which is built, and has
flourished, on promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The role of government, as our founding fathers envisioned it, was to
protect and promote these unalienable rights to all citizens.  I look
forward to continue working with you on this journey towards a "more
perfect union."

Thank you. 

Patrick J. Kennedy, Member of Congress

 

 

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