Partnership for Quality Care: Press Releases

Statement from the Partnership for Quality Care Regarding President Obama's Address to Congress

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906

Last night, President Obama told the nation that this year, we must reform our health care system, and that his budget would be a down-payment on the promise to achieve quality, affordable health care for every American.

Simply put, a healthcare system where one million people lose insurance every year cannot be sustained. The gaps and inefficiencies of our health care system threaten the health of every American as well as the economic well-being of our nation. Our current economic crisis only deepens the need to act now.

The 60 million health care workers and caregivers of the Partnership for Quality Care will work with the President and Congress to build a strong, sustainable health care system that will affordably provide the highest quality health care to everyone in America.

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The Partnership for Quality Care is a nationwide coalition of over 1 million health care workers and health care providers who care for more than 60 million patients annually.

Nation's Leading Health Care Providers and Unions to Share Solutions with Congressional Leaders for Health Care Crisis

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2008
Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906

Eleven Initiatives Preview National Opportunities to Control Costs, Improve Quality of Care

As the national call to find a solution to America's broken healthcare system emerges as a key driver in yesterday's election of Barack Obama and a slate of Congressional seats, the nation's largest joint labor-management healthcare coalition released a report today on how they are tackling the most expensive problem in our nation's healthcare system: the escalating social, economic, and individual costs of treating and managing chronic disease.

According to the report, issued by the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) and edited by Dr. Kenneth E. Thorpe of Emory University, there are proven strategies to combat the chronic disease that accounts for 7 out of 10 deaths in America and 75 cents of every healthcare dollar our country spends. Nearly 50% of Americans suffer from a chronic condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes, congestive heart failure, or asthma: www.pcq-usa.org.

"Our nation needs to find a way to ensure high quality care is affordable for every family," said George Halvorson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente and Chair of the Partnership for Quality Care. "Too often, we are told that increasing access to healthcare is only possible if costs are raised and quality lowered. In fact, leading health care providers have already implemented programs that contain costs, expand access, and, most importantly, improve the quality of care for chronic patients. That points the way to nationwide reform."

"Families have seen their healthcare costs skyrocket while wages have stagnated. Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities these days; they can't afford to wait any longer for a solution to our healthcare crisis," said Dennis Rivera, Chair of SEIU Healthcare, which represents over 1.1 million nurses and healthcare workers.

National Models, National Voice

The Partnership for Quality Care cares for 60 million patients each year and its patients are constituents in more than 175 Congressional districts. Today, every member of Congress was sent a copy of the PQC report, and while Congress is out of session, PQC members will begin briefing Congressional leaders and staff in their home districts on the report's findings and the importance of quality in the delivery of care.

"As our nation is driven to action by increasing costs and decreasing access, improving the quality of healthcare must be the engine that drives reform," said Ken Raske, President and CEO of the Greater New York Hospital Association. "And as these solutions demonstrate, it's key that we take full advantage of the advances in information technology and systems engineering that will deliver better care at lower cost."

Entitled "Quality, Cost Control, Universal Healthcare," the report shares success stories of managing and treating chronic care from hospitals and care systems throughout the country, including: Kaiser Permanente, the Mayo Clinic, Montefiore Medical Center, HealthPartners, Daughters of Charity Health System, Massachusetts General Hospital, Jackson Health System, Catholic Healthcare West, and Group Health Cooperative.

Improving Quality, Addressing Healthcare Disparities, Empowering Patients

The report found that any national healthcare reform effort should focus on the following policy areas to improve outcomes in chronic care, including:

Improving quality and effectiveness of care delivery to ensure better health outcomes at lower costs;
Changing delivery systems to address healthcare disparities; and
Empowering patients and consumers to share responsibility for cost and quality.

Through the coming year, the PQC plans to build on the public mandate for reform in our healthcare system. The organization's core mission has been and will remain ensuring that everyone in America has affordable access to the highest quality healthcare. Within this mandate, key areas of focus will include: ensuring the healthcare workforce has the training, support, and expertise to guarantee access to high quality care for all patients; addressing healthcare disparities; focusing on healthcare information technology; empowering patients to better direct and manage their own care; and building a stronger healthcare system that prioritizes the coordination of care across all providers for all health care conditions.

About the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC)

The PQC is a national joint labor-management coalition committed to ensuring quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans. It includes public, private, religious, teaching, and non-profit hospitals and integrated health systems and more than one million nurses, doctors and healthcare workers.

The PQC cares for more than 60 million patients each year and its members include: Service Employees International Union, SEIU Healthcare, the Greater New York Hospital Association, Kaiser Permanente, Partners Healthcare, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, Catholic Healthcare West, Daughters of Charity Healthcare System, Group Health Cooperative, HealthPartners, Jackson Health System, Allina Hospitals and Clinics, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW, United Healthcare Workers West, SEIU Local 1991 and the Committee of Interns and Residents of SEIU Healthcare.

Link to Report (pdf)

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Statement from the Partnership for Quality Care Regarding Renewal of Massachusetts Medicaid Waiver

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2008
Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906

The Partnership for Quality Care applauds CMS and Governor Deval Patrick for their support of Massachusetts' landmark achievement in expanding health care coverage. Yesterday's extension of the state's Medicaid waiver enables Massachusetts to clear a critical funding hurdle as it continues to expand health care coverage to the uninsured. It also provides yet another example of how continued partnership of government, providers, labor, business and patients is fundamentally necessary to any national model that seeks to solve our health care crisis.

This shared commitment is paying dividends in health care coverage that we can measure: in August, Massachusetts reported that two-thirds of its uninsured residents had obtained coverage, and the state's burden of uncompensated care had dropped 40 percent. We are hopeful that in the future Massachusetts will be able to share new information on how the quality of care is improving as a result of a stable, sustained system where virtually every patient has affordable, comprehensive health care. With comprehensive coverage, quality across state and national health care delivery system can become a reality.

The PQC has long stressed the importance of federal partnership with states to lead on the improvement of health care. However, states cannot make the investment to reform our health care system to improve access, efficiency, affordability, and quality on their own. Especially in a time of fiscal strain, they need the leadership of the federal government to help make investments that will pay off for decades to come.

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Statement on the Census Bureau Report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

For Immediate Release August 26, 2008
Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay 646-246-5906

The U.S. Census Bureau report released today included the encouraging news that the number of uninsured in the U.S. declined slightly in 2007 from 47 million to 45.7 million, but a deeper look at the trendlines shows much cause for concern.

2007 marked the end of an economic expansion, and 15.3% in America were still uninsured. At the end of the last economic expansion in 2000, 13.7% were uninsured -- 7.3 million fewer people than today.
It is also clear that there is an increasing dependence on public financing and safety net programs. Today's report shows the 2007 gains in coverage were due entirely to growth in government-sponsored programs, as enrollment in private insurance -- both individually purchased and employer-based -- continues to decline.

As more and more states face budget gaps because of the economic downturn, it is more vital than ever to ensure that they have support for the public programs that provide coverage during economically difficult times.

Overall, these findings confirm what healthcare providers and workers see every day. With 45.7 million still uninsured at the height of an economic expansion, America's healthcare system is failing our nation.

Children and adults without insurance lack sufficient access to primary and preventive care, and are at greater risk of missing vaccinations and checkups. Far too many end up in emergency rooms for expensive treatment of conditions that could have been far more effectively treated, at far less cost, had they received care sooner. In addition, this year the Institute of Medicine found that in 2006, the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured cost the U.S. economy between $102 billion and $204 billion in lost productivity alone.

Today's Census Bureau report affirms the dire need for reliable and affordable access to health care coverage for all Americans within a reformed health care system that aggressively promotes improved quality and efficiency.

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About the Partnership for Quality Care

Launched in May 2007, the Partnership for Quality Care is a unique nationwide organization, a labor-management partnership of healthcare providers and healthcare workers. It includes more than 1 million workers, as well as public, private, religious, teaching and nonprofit hospitals and integrated health systems caring for more than 50 million patients annually.

Frontline Caregivers, National Healthcare Providers Unveil What's Working in the Battle Against Chronic Disease

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

For Immediate Release:
March 19, 2008
Contact: Mark Glaze, (202) 271-0982

Frontline Caregivers, National Healthcare Providers Unveil What's Working in the Battle Against Chronic Disease: 11 Models Founded in Quality Form Cornerstone to Healthcare Reform

Summit Demonstrates Proven Techniques to Enhance Treatment and Access for Chronic-Care Patients

Washington, DC -- Nurses, doctors and health care workers joined CEO's from a nationally renowned group of health care providers in sharing nearly a dozen pioneering programs that contain costs while improving the quality of chronic care at a summit hosted today by the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC).

The summit, Confronting the Chronic Care Challenge, was the first in a yearlong series of events designed to bring quality -- a topic that encompasses access, affordability, efficiency, and cost containment -- to the center of the health care debate, by presenting practical solutions to some of the most difficult problems in health care today. Launched in May 2007, the PQC unites more than 1 million nurses, resident physicians and health care workers and providers treating more than 50 million patients a year. The coalition is dedicated to the reform and improvement of our health care system to ensure that affordable, high-quality health care is available to every American.

"Any real attempt to manage health care costs must address the fundamental question of how we can affordably provide the highest quality care to the most challenging patients in our health care system," said Dennis Rivera, PQC Chairman and Chairman of SEIU Healthcare, the health care division of Service Employees International Union (SEIU). "If we focus on quality, we can change our health care system to contain costs and improve outcomes for chronically ill patients."

Chronic care patients are those suffering from recurring orpersistent illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease. They represent only 20 percent of patients but account for 75 percent of health care spending.

The summit comes as health care costs continue to rise and the issue of chronic disease impacts more families. "Among industrialized nations, America spends the most on health care and gets the least," Rivera noted. "But it doesn't have to be this way. The purpose of the summit is to share what we can achieve when we put quality at the center of health care reform."

"We need to build a new American health care system, one that guarantees quality health care that every person in this country can afford," said SEIU President Andy Stern. "And to do that, we all need to be part of the solution, including the health care workers who are on the front lines of the health care crisis. Every day, they see first-hand patients and families being devastated by a broken system -- and they also know better than anyone what works and what doesn't."

George Halvorson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and PQC Secretary, noted that many people are unaware that such innovative programs exist or, worse, doubt that change is possible. "Too often, voters are told that increasing access to healthcare is only possible if costs are raised and quality lowered. This is a false dichotomy," Halvorson said. "In fact, leading health care providers have already implemented programs that contain costs, expand access, and, most importantly, improve the quality of care for chronic patients. That points the way to nationwide reform."

The groundbreaking programs highlighted at the summit included:

SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West and Kaiser Permanente successful implementation of an electronic health record that has led to a 57 percent reduction in hospital medication errors;

Montefiore Medical Center's self-designed electronic tool to monitor the health of thousands of patients and act as an essential safety net for patients with chronic conditions;

Massachusetts General Hospital's model for reducing persistent ethnic and racial disparities in the treatment of chronic care through its Disparities Solution Center;

Catholic Healthcare West's post-discharge support program that reduced the cost of care by 28 percent for patients by aiding them in monitoring and managing their disease;

Jackson Health System creation of a separate intake clinic to intervene and assess congestive heart failure patients, reducing readmittance by 80 percent;

The Mayo Clinic's asthma quality improvement initiative that shifts from traditional process-based measures to a focus on patient-centered outcomes;

Daughters of Charity Health System's "Asian Pacific Liver Center," created to address high rates of hepatitis B in the greater Los Angeles area;

How HealthPartners used its electronic medical record to collect patient race/ethnicity and language preference data (self-reported) and used the data to review quality metrics, identify disparities and develop strategies to eliminate disparities;

Group Health Cooperative's achievement in using health technology to create customized preventive care programs that take into account an individual's personal health needs by using the information in their medical record;

How nurses in Washington State worked with Group Health management to improve care for patients even after they'd been discharged from the hospital;

A Kaiser Permanente initiative that has helped reduce heart disease mortality among its members in northern

California by 30 percent through a combination of preventive programs and evidence-based medicine. The summit was held at the Columbus Club in Washington, DC's Union Station, steps away from where the national health care debate is being played out in Congress.

Panelists at the summit included nurses and caregivers and management from several PQC member organizations, including SEIU Healthcare, Catholic Healthcare West, Daughters of Charity Health System, The Greater New York Hospital Association, Group Health Cooperative, HealthPartners, Jackson Health System, and Partners Healthcare.

To learn more about PQC, please visit www.pqc-usa.org.

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Leading Minnesota Healthcare Organization Joins National Health Care Reform Partnership

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0800

March 4, 2008
Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay, PQC 646-246-5906
Joe Dangor HealthPartners 952-883-5223

Leading Minnesota Healthcare Organization
Joins National Health Care Reform Partnership

Partnership Seeks High Quality, Affordable Health Care for Every American

WASHINGTON, DC – The Partnership for Quality Care, a unique coalition that brings together some of the nation's largest and most innovative health care providers and labor unions to press for the reform and improvement of our health care system, announced today that HealthPartners of Minnesota will join its efforts to secure guaranteed, high quality, affordable health care for every American.

The Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) includes public, private, religious, teaching and nonprofit hospitals and integrated health systems as well as more than a million health care workers across the country. Members of the Partnership care for more than 50 million patients each year.

"As the nation's largest consumer-governed, non-profit health care organization, we share the commitment of our PQC partners in building a health care system that provides quality care, is affordable, accessible and improves the health of Americans." said Mary Brainerd, President & Chief Executive Officer of HealthPartners.

"From CEOs to nurses to certified nurse assistants, we know from personal experience the terrible cost of failing to provide better access to quality care, and what reforms are most urgently needed," said Dennis Rivera, PQC Chairman and Chair of SEIU Healthcare. "With this new Partnership we are putting up resources to work together to secure universal health care coverage. This is a truly unprecedented national effort, and it is greatly strengthened by the participation of HealthPartners, an organization whose public policy platform is closely aligned with PQC's principles to reform American health care."

"I could not be more proud to have HealthPartners, an organization with a rich tradition of healthcare quality, innovation and consumer governance, participating in the PQC " said George C. Halvorson, PQC Secretary and Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Permanente. "We are the people who will build a 21st Century health care system, finding and implementing innovative ways to serve patients and promote policies that improve quality, expand access, and contain costs without compromising care."

"We're excited to have HealthPartners add their voice to the chorus for quality, affordable health care for every man, woman, and child in America," said Julie Schnell, President of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota. "They bring a needed voice to the debate."

The Partnership for Quality Care's efforts to secure health insurance coverage for uninsured low-income children have been featured on CNN and in newspapers nationwide. With an initial budget of at least $5 million, as this unprecedented healthcare partnership continues to grow, it will educate communities and elected representatives across the country on the importance or reform through events, direct mail, grassroots and online organizing, media, and more.

The PQC's principles are to:

Ensure universal health care coverage for all Americans

Improve the quality and efficiency of health care services by adopting clinical best practices and promoting organized systems of care;

Establish a stable, equitable, broad-based, and predictable health care financing system;

Promote affordability and address rising health care costs by advancing opportunities to achieve the greatest value for our health care dollars;

Provide meaningful individual choice of providers and plans while promoting preventive care, protecting consumers from the costs of major illnesses, and improving the management of chronic conditions; and

Achieve greater reliability in health care coverage, including improved portability of coverage and continuity of care.

The Partnership for Quality Care was launched in May, 2007. The PQC's members are: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East • Catholic Healthcare West • Daughters of Charity Health System • Greater New York Hospital Association • Group Health Cooperative • Jackson Health System • Kaiser Permanente • Partners HealthCare (Brigham & Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital) • SEIU Healthcare 1199NW • SEIU Healthcare Minnesota • SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West • SEIU Healthcare Committee of Interns & Residents • SEIU Local 1991• Service Employees International Union

Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of health care companies serve more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide and is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best plans in the nation by U.S. News and World Report/ The National Committee for Quality Assurance.

PQC Statement on Healthcare Costs

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay
February 26, 2008 (646-246-5906)

We must reform our health care system to ensure the highest quality care is affordable and accessible for all Americans

Washington, DC – The report issued today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on projected health expenditures contains critically important macroeconomic data for anyone concerned about the long-term affordability of high quality health care in the United States. While health care spending projections are lower than in previous years, the current trajectory is clearly one of increasing, rather than decreasing, costs.

What the CMS report does not address is how much of current health care spending represents "dollars well spent" on health interventions that maximize the value of our health care dollars. As an organization of one million front-line health care workers, as well as public, private, religious, teaching and nonprofit hospitals and integrated health systems caring for more than 50 million patients annually, the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) is committed to building a health care system in which every American has affordable access to the highest quality care. To reach that goal, we must control costs to ensure that every health care dollar is a dollar well spent.

PQC believes there are major opportunities to improve quality while containing costs right now. Every day we delay addressing this challenge, the more challenging it becomes to achieve universal coverage in the United States. And as the number of uninsured grows, the goal of containing costs while improving quality will grow more elusive.

To demonstrate the opportunities that can be found in a health care reform process that is driven by quality, PQC will first tackle the problem of chronic care. At a March 19 summit in Washington, DC, leading health care providers and caregivers will discuss real-world initiatives that have succeeded in restraining costs and increasing the quality of care for more Americans. Because chronic disease accounts for 75% of health care costs, achieving greater value in our treatment of these diseases will have an immense impact on the efficiency and quality of our health care system.

About the Partnership for Quality Care

Launched in May 2007, the Partnership for Quality Care is a unique national organization, a labor-management partnership of healthcare providers and healthcare workers. It includes more than 1 million workers, as well as public, private, religious, teaching and nonprofit hospitals and integrated health systems caring for more than
50 million patients annually.

Statement on the House of Representatives Vote to Override Presidential Veto of SCHIP

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay 646-246-5906

Statement from the
Partnership for Quality Care
on the 10-18-07 House of Representatives Vote to

Override Presidential Veto of SCHIP

The Partnership for Quality Care is disappointed to see that the House’s worthy attempt to override the veto of a bill to strengthen SCHIP and cover 10 million low-income children narrowly missed its goal.

In the past two years nearly one million children have lost their insurance, paying the price for our broken healthcare financing system. As healthcare providers and workers, we know that these children now face a greater risk of costly complications brought on by decreased access to timely preventive and primary care.

We extend our thanks to the 273 members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who supported the strengthening of SCHIP today, especially to the Congressional leaders who have worked so hard on behalf of millions of uninsured children.

We look forward to supporting the continued efforts to renew and strengthen the SCHIP program, not only extending but also meaningfully supporting the program, and ensuring that the 10 million children who would have been covered by this legislation receive the healthcare they need and deserve.

About the Partnership for Quality Care

Click here to read the pdf.

Powerful Healthcare Partnership Launches Television Ad Buy

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2007
CONTACT: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906

Powerful Healthcare Partnership Launches Television Ad Buy
Urging Congress & President to Fully Fund SCHIP

As SCHIP Renewal Deadline Looms, Partnership for Quality Care Calls for
Health Coverage for More than 3 Million Uninsured Kids

Washington, DC -- The Partnership for Quality Care (PQC), a unique labor/management coalition of America's health providers and caregivers, today launched a television ad campaign (http://www.facts-online.org/qualitycare/new_ads.html) calling for a renewal of and increased funding for the hugely successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover millions more uninsured children. SCHIP is a federal program that helps states offer low-cost insurance to families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but are unable to find affordable health insurance. The new ad, part of PQC's ongoing "Cover Kids Now" campaign, will run in the Washington, DC television market.

The SCHIP Program is set to expire on September 30, jeopardizing the healthcare of more than 6 million children already covered by the program. Both the Senate and House of Representatives passed legislation earlier this summer to renew the program and increase its funding to cover at least 3 million more children, but to become law these bills must be reconciled and the President must sign a final bill.

The new PQC ad shows an infant in a crib reaching for but failing to reach a mobile made up of medical instruments. The voice-over indicates that healthcare for over 3 million uninsured children will remain "just out of reach" unless Congress passes and the President signs a bill to fully fund the program. Viewers are directed to a PQC Web site, www.CoverKidsNow.org, where they can contact Congress and the President, and advocate for funding to cover millions more children. PQC is also running print ads urging Congress and the President to renew and fully fund the SCHIP program, as well as contacting activated constituents to send e-mail to their legislators and the President through the Cover Kids Now Web site.

According to recent census data, in just the past year more than 600,000 children have lost their health insurance, bringing the total number of uninsured children to 8.7 million. This increase over the prior year marks a change from 1999-2004, when every year fewer children were uninsured than in the prior year.

"SCHIP has been exceptionally successful, helping millions of children receive the preventive care that keeps them healthy, and we believe it should help millions more uninsured children," said George C. Halvorson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals and PQC Secretary. "As this campaign illustrates, the PQC is an unprecedented coalition of providers and workers who have come together to solve the crisis of healthcare in our nation, The PQC supports guaranteed healthcare for everyone in America, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is the smart thing to do."

This summer, Congress took the first step to renew SCHIP and fund it to cover millions more children," said Dennis Rivera, leader of million-member SEIU Healthcare, and PQC Chairman. "Now it is time for Congress to put together a final bill that covers millions more children, and for the President to sign it. It will be a victory for Washington, for millions of uninsured children, and for the healthcare workers who struggle every day in our broken healthcare system to provide the highest quality care to every child."

"Last year, more than 600,000 children joined the ranks of the uninsured. Every day our providers see children in emergency rooms for complications that could have been avoided with more cost-effective and timely care," said Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) President Kenneth E. Raske. "I can think of no more important goal than making sure every child in the United States has health insurance, and funding SCHIP to reach millions more children will be an important achievement."

Since its May 2007 launch, the PQC has focused on the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP to cover millions more uninsured children. PQC launched its Cover Kids Now campaign in July with a nationwide, seven-figure print and TV ad campaign to increase awareness of the SCHIP program and the proposed tobacco tax to support it.

To date, the PQC's Cover Kids Now SCHIP campaign has included:

Television: sponsored a seven-figure television ad buy supporting funding for SCHIP to cover millions more children and a tobacco tax increase;
Print Media: print advertisements in Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Roll Call, and The Hill supporting SCHIP and an increased tobacco tax;
Action Website: generated thousands of emails to Congress through CoverKidsNow.org website;
Activated Constituents: PQC let its activist constituents know if their members had supported SCHIP, and asked them to send their thanks;
Grassroots Activities: sponsored public events with members of Congress on SCHIP nationwide, including: South Carolina; California; Florida; Rhode Island; Oregon; California; Washington; Wisconsin; New Jersey; and Pennsylvania.;
Partner Organizations: joined with other advocacy organizations in letters to Congress, paid media, and press events in support of increased funding for millions more children in SCHIP;

"Every person has a fundamental right to healthcare of the highest quality," said Lloyd Dean, CEO of Catholic Healthcare West. "This historic partnership supports full funding of SCHIP because we believe it is a first step toward meaningful reform of our healthcare system and ensuring that affordable, high-quality healthcare is available to everyone-especially children, who are often amongst the most vulnerable in our society."

"The mission of the Daughters of Charity Health System is to provide excellent healthcare, and especially to serve and advocate for the poor,” said Robert Issai, President and CEO,

Daughters of Charity Health System. "As we see so many more children becoming uninsured, SCHIP can help contain the crisis, and bring millions of uninsured children the healthcare they so vitally need."

The Ads can be seen online at: http://www.facts-online.org/qualitycare/new_ads.html

The Cover Kids Now campaign can be found at: http:/www.CoverKidsNow.org

About the PQC

The PQC will work in 2007 and 2008 at the federal, state and local levels to advance reliable and affordable access to health care coverage for everyone in America within a reformed health care system that aggressively promotes improved quality and efficiency.

With an initial budget of at least $5 million, this unprecedented healthcare partnership will educate communities and elected representatives across the country through events, direct mail, grassroots and online organizing, media, and more.

As part of this reform effort, the PQC has released its Joint Principles for a Reformed American Healthcare System. Those principles are to:

1. Ensure universal health care coverage for all Americans.
2. Improve the quality and efficiency of health care services by adopting clinical best practices and promoting organized systems of care.
3. Establish a stable, equitable, broad-based, and predictable health care financingn system.
4. Promote affordability and address rising health care costs by advancing
opportunities to achieve the greatest value for our health care dollars.
5. Provide meaningful individual choice of providers and plans while promoting
preventive care, protecting consumers from the costs of major illnesses, and
improving the management of chronic conditions.
6. Achieve greater reliability in health care coverage, including improved portability of coverage and continuity of care.

The PQC’s members are: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East • Kaiser Permanente • Greater New York Hospital Association • Catholic Healthcare West • Daughters of Charity Health System • Service Employees International Union • SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West

For more information, please consult http://www.pqc-usa.org.

Ad Script: "Out of Reach" :30
An infant lies in bed, reaching for a mobile. On the mobile hang various medically related objects--a stethoscope, liquid medicine measure, bandages, etc.

VOICE OVER: Last year alone, 600,000 children lost their health insurance. Now, the Children's Health Insurance Program is about to expire. Fully funding SCHIP would cover over 3 million more kids. That means immunizations and regular checkups...the right start for a healthier life.

VISUAL: In the last shot, the baby tries to reach up and grab one of the objects spinning overhe...but it is just out of reach.

VOICE OVER: Call Congress and the President today and urge them to renew and fully fund the children’s health program. Unless they act, healthcare for 3 million uninsured kids will remain just out of reach.

VISUAL -- Paid for by the Partnership for Quality Care (with PQC logo)

Click here to read the pdf

Statement from the Partnership for Quality Care on the Census Bureau Report

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Statement from the Partnership for Quality Care on the Census Bureau Report

Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006

The U.S. Census Bureau report released today contains truly sobering data on the number of Americans without health insurance. The report found that, from 2005 to 2006, the number of uninsured Americans grew from 44.8 million to 47 million, a 5% increase. The news was even worse for kids: 8.7 million American children were uninsured in 2006, a staggering 8% increase from 2005. In just one year, the number of uninsured kids in the U.S. grew by over 600,000.

These alarming numbers confirm what healthcare providers and workers see every day -- America's healthcare system is failing more and more Americans.

Children and adults without insurance lack access to primary and preventive care, and miss vaccinations and checkups. Far too many end up in emergency rooms for expensive treatment of conditions that could have been far more effectively treated, at far less cost, had they received care sooner.

Today's Census Bureau report affirms the dire need for reliable and affordable access to health care coverage for all Americans within a reformed health care system that aggressively promotes improved quality and efficiency. The Partnership for Quality Care will continue to advocate for efforts, such as the renewal and expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and an increased tobacco tax, that promote affordable access to the highest quality healthcare.

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About the Partnership for Quality Care

Click here to read the PDF.

Unique Labor-Management Partnership Joins 25 Organizations

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Contact: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906

Unique Labor-Management Partnership Joins 25 Organizations
To Support State Children’s Health Insurance Program

Partnership for Quality Care Calls upon Congress to
Bolster Children’s Health Insurance While Decreasing Tobacco Use

Washington, DC -- Dennis Rivera, Chair of the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC), a unique labor/management coalition of America's health providers and caregivers, today stood with more than twenty-five organizations to support the reauthorization and expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

SCHIP provides health insurance to more than 6 million children annually. Since its launch in May, 2007, the PQC has focused on the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP to cover millions more uninsured children. The PQC is the only advocacy organization airing nationwide ads that not only support SCHIP’s expansion to cover millions more uninsured children, but also clearly advocate for a solution in financing its expansion: an increase in the tobacco tax.

"I am proud to stand here with so many committed organizations, including the leadership organization of two of our members: Catholic Healthcare West, and Daughters of Charity Health System. We are all unified by our common desire to improve the health of children," said Dennis Rivera, leader of million-member SEIU Healthcare, and PQC Chairman. "As healthcare workers and providers, the PQC wants to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare of the highest quality, and we have seen firsthand how SCHIP has done that for millions of children. Using an increased tobacco tax to finance the reauthorization of this program, as was done when SCHIP was first created in 1997, will also have the added benefit of decreasing smoking, especially among our youth."

Since May, 2007, PQC member organizations have:

sponsored a television and print ad campaign, CoverKidsNow, a seven-figure nationwide effort to increase awareness of the SCHIP program and the proposed tobacco tax to support it;
jointly met with members of the House and Senate in support of an increased tobacco tax to fund SCHIP;
joined with 66 other advocacy organizations in a letter to Congress in support of an increased tobacco tax to fund SCHIP; and
sponsored public events with members of Congress on SCHIP nationwide, including: South Carolina, California, Florida, Rhode Island, Oregon, California, Washington, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

"SCHIP has been exceptionally successful, helping millions of children receive the preventive care that keeps them healthy, and we believe it should help millions more uninsured children," said George C. Halvorson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. "As this campaign illustrates, the PQC is an unprecedented coalition of providers and workers who have come together to solve the crisis of healthcare in our nation. The PQC supports guaranteed healthcare for everyone in America, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is the smart thing to do."

"There are almost nine million uninsured children in the United States, and every day our providers see children in emergency rooms for complications that could have been avoided with more cost-effective and timely care," said Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) President Kenneth E. Raske. "I can think of no more important goal than making sure every child in the United States has health insurance, and protecting and expanding SCHIP funding is a critical step towards achieving that goal."

The PQC's print and television ads encourage House Members to take leadership on increasing the tobacco tax to fund children’s health. In the Senate, there has been a bipartisan agreement to fund a $35 billion expansion of SCHIP with a 61-cent increase in the tobacco tax. Viewers are directed to CoverKidsNow.org, where they can contact their elected representatives and advocate for an expansion of SCHIP and a tobacco tax increase.

"Catholic Healthcare West believes that every person has a fundamental right to high-quality healthcare," said Lloyd Dean, CEO of Catholic Healthcare West. "This historic partnership supports full funding of SCHIP because we believe it is a first step toward meaningful reform of our healthcare system and ensuring that affordable, high-quality healthcare is available to everyone-especially children, who are often amongst the most vulnerable in our society."

"The mission of the Daughters of Charity Health System is to provide excellent healthcare, and especially to serve and advocate for the poor," said Robert Issai, President and CEO, Daughters of Charity Health System. "SCHIP will help millions of children obtain the healthcare they so vitally need."
The Cover Kids Now campaign can be found at: http://www.CoverKidsNow.org

About the PQC

Launched in May 2007, the Partnership for Quality Care is a unique nationwide organization, a labor-management partnership of healthcare providers and healthcare workers. It includes more than 1 million workers, as well as public, private, religious, teaching and nonprofit hospitals and integrated health systems caring for more than 45 million patients annually.
The PQC will work in 2007 and 2008 at the federal, state and local levels to advance reliable and affordable access to health care coverage for everyone in America within a reformed health care system that aggressively promotes improved quality and efficiency.

As part of this reform effort, the PQC has released its Joint Principles for a Reformed American Healthcare System. Those principles are to:

1. Ensure universal health care coverage for all Americans.
2. Improve the quality and efficiency of health care services by adopting clinical best practices and promoting organized systems of care.
3. Establish a stable, equitable, broad-based, and predictable health care financing system.
4. Promote affordability and address rising health care costs by advancing
opportunities to achieve the greatest value for our health care dollars.
5. Provide meaningful individual choice of providers and plans while promoting
preventive care, protecting consumers from the costs of major illnesses, and
improving the management of chronic conditions.
6. Achieve greater reliability in health care coverage, including improved portability of coverage and continuity of care.

Seven-Figure Nationwide Television Ad Buy

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2007
CONTACT: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906

Seven-Figure Nationwide Television Ad Buy
Urges Tobacco Tax Increase as Solution to Expand SCHIP

Partnership for Quality Care Launches Campaign to
Bolster Children's Health Insurance While Decreasing Tobacco Use

Washington, DC -- The Partnership for Quality Care (PQC), a unique labor/management coalition of America's health providers and caregivers, today launched a seven-figure television ad campaign (link to TV ad) calling for an expansion of the hugely successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that would be funded by increasing the federal tax on cigarettes. SCHIP is a federal program that helps states offer low-cost insurance to families too affluent to qualify for Medicaid, but unable to find affordable health insurance.

The PQC ads-- which are airing across the nation-- encourage House Members to take leadership on increasing the tobacco tax to fund children's health. In the Senate, there has been a bipartisan agreement to fund a $35 billion expansion of SCHIP with a 61-cent increase in the tobacco tax.

The PQC is the only advocacy organization airing nationwide ads that not only support SCHIP's expansion to cover millions more uninsured children, but also clearly advocate for a solution in financing its expansion.

The powerful ad is a montage of children, parents and healthcare providers explaining that an increased tobacco tax will not only help SCHIP cover more uninsured children, but also decrease smoking--especially among kids. Viewers are directed to a Web site, www.CoverKidsNow.org, where they can contact their elected representatives and advocate for an expansion of SCHIP and a tobacco tax increase.

Recent polls have demonstrated high public support for increasing the federal tobacco tax to support health insurance for children, and increased tobacco taxes have been demonstrated to reduce the rate of smoking. SCHIP, which Congress must reauthorize this year, insures more than six million children annually.

"SCHIP has been exceptionally successful, helping millions of children receive the preventive care that keeps them healthy, and we believe it should help millions more uninsured children," said George C. Halvorson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. "As this campaign illustrates, the PQC is an unprecedented coalition of providers and workers who have come together to solve the crisis of healthcare in our nation, The PQC supports guaranteed healthcare for everyone in America, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is the smart thing to do."

"As healthcare workers and providers, we think less smoking and healthier kids is a win-win," said Dennis Rivera, leader of million-member SEIU Healthcare, and PQC Chairman. "The PQC wants to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare of the highest quality, and SCHIP has done that for millions of children. Using an increased tobacco tax to finance the reauthorization of this program, as was done when SCHIP was first created in 1997, will also have the added benefit of decreasing smoking, especially among our youth."

"There are almost nine million uninsured children in the United States, and every day our providers see children in emergency rooms for complications that could have been avoided with more cost-effective and timely care," said Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) President Kenneth E. Raske. "I can think of no more important goal than making sure every child in the United States has health insurance, and protecting and expanding SCHIP funding is a critical step towards achieving that goal."

Since its launch in May, 2007, the PQC has focused on the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP to cover millions more uninsured children. PQC's print and TV ad campaign, Cover Kids Now, is a nationwide effort to increase awareness of the SCHIP program and the proposed tobacco tax to support it.
PQC member organizations have:

jointly met with members of the House and Senate in support of an increased tobacco tax to fund SCHIP;
joined with 66 other advocacy organizations in a letter to Congress in support of an increased tobacco tax to fund SCHIP; and
sponsored public events with members of Congress on SCHIP nationwide, including: South Carolina; California; Florida; Rhode Island; Oregon; California; Washington; Wisconsin; New Jersey; and Pennsylvania.

"Catholic Healthcare West believes that every person has a fundamental right to high-quality healthcare," said Lloyd Dean, CEO of Catholic Healthcare West. "This historic partnership supports full funding of SCHIP because we believe it is a first step toward meaningful reform of our healthcare system and ensuring that affordable, high-quality healthcare is available to everyone-especially children, who are often amongst the most vulnerable in our society."

"The mission of the Daughters of Charity Health System is to provide excellent healthcare, and especially to serve and advocate for the poor," said Robert Issai, President and CEO, Daughters of Charity Health System. "SCHIP will help millions of children obtain the healthcare they so vitally need."

To view the television ad, please click on: http://www.facts-online.org/qualitycare/ads.html

To view the print ad, please click on: http://www.box.net/shared/static/xsv2ec71n9.pdf

The Cover Kids Now campaign can be found: http://www.CoverKidsNow.org

About the PQC

As part of this reform effort, the PQC has released its Joint Principles for a Reformed American Healthcare System. Those principles are to:
1. Ensure universal health care coverage for all Americans.
2. Improve the quality and efficiency of health care services by adopting clinical best practices and promoting organized systems of care.
3. Establish a stable, equitable, broad-based, and predictable health care financing system.
4. Promote affordability and address rising health care costs by advancing
opportunities to achieve the greatest value for our health care dollars.
5. Provide meaningful individual choice of providers and plans while promoting
preventive care, protecting consumers from the costs of major illnesses, and
improving the management of chronic conditions.
6. Achieve greater reliability in health care coverage, including improved portability of coverage and continuity of care.

The PQC's members are: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East • Kaiser Permanente • Greater New York Hospital Association • Catholic Healthcare West • Daughters of Charity Health System • Service Employees International Union • SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West

For more information, please consult http://www.pqc-usa.org.

TV Ad Script:

"Montage"
:30

Kid #1: Today 9 million kids….
Kid #2: ….Just like me….
Kid #3: …and me…
Kid #4:……and me….
Kid #1:…… do not have health insurance.
Kid #2: And every year….
Kid #3… one and a half million
Kid #4… one and a half…
Kid #1:….million…
Kid #2: …kids just like me….
Kid #3: …and me…
Kid #4:……and me….
Kid #1: start smoking.
Mom: There is a solution.
Dad: Tell Congress to expand health insurance for kids by raising taxes on cigarettes.
Nurse: That will mean better care for kids,
Doctor… and fewer smokers to care for.
VO: Log on today and cover kids now
GRAPHIC: www.CoverKidsNow.org

Paid for by the Partnership for Quality Care
[To view the television ad, please click on: http://www.facts-online.org/qualitycare/ads.html]

##########

Click here to read the PDF.

Partnership for Quality Care Launches Campaign to Support Children's Health Insurance and Decrease Tobacco Use

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2007
CONTACT: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906

Partnership for Quality Care Launches Campaign to
Support Children's Health Insurance and Decrease Tobacco Use

Unique Labor-Management Health Partnership Launches Cover Kids Now Campaign

Supporting Expansion of SCHIP & Calling for Increase in Federal Tobacco Tax

Washington, DC-- The Partnership for Quality Care (PQC), a unique coalition of America's health providers and caregivers, today launched its Cover Kids Now campaign. The PQC's print ad displays a hand holding a "winning prescription" for Congress: to insure more children through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by raising the tax on cigarettes.

The print ad directs readers to a Web site, www.CoverKidsNow.org, where they can contact their elected representatives and advocate for an expansion of the federal SCHIP program and increase in the federal tobacco tax.

"Fully funding SCHIP is not only the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do." said George C. Halvorson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. "By covering millions more children, an expanded SCHIP program will help providers serve patients and improve quality, expand access, and contain costs without compromising care."

"Increasing the tobacco tax to support SCHIP is a win-win proposition," said Dennis Rivera, leader of million-member SEIU Healthcare, and PQC Chairman. "Tobacco taxes are a proven deterrent to smoking, especially among young people, and they will help decrease the rate of tobacco-related diseases many years down the road. The federal tobacco tax was increased when SCHIP was created in 1997, and it makes sense to raise it again to support the program's expansion."

Since its launch in May 2007, the Partnership for Quality Care has focused on the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP to cover millions more uninsured children. PQC member organizations have sponsored public events with members of Congress on SCHIP nationwide, including: Columbia, South Carolina; Oakland, California; Broward County, Florida; Providence, Rhode Island; Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; Seattle, Washington; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Trenton, NJ; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"There are almost nine million uninsured children in the United States, and every day our providers see children in emergency rooms for complications that could have been avoided with more cost-effective and timely care," said Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) President Kenneth E. Raske. "I can think of no more important goal than making sure every child in the United States has health insurance, and protecting and expanding SCHIP funding is a critical step towards achieving that goal."

Recent polls have demonstrated high public support for increasing the federal tobacco tax in order to support health insurance for children, and increased tobacco taxes have been demonstrated to reduce the rate of smoking. SCHIP, which Congress must reauthorize this year, insures more than 6 million children annually.

"Catholic Healthcare West believes that every person has a fundamental right to high-quality healthcare," said Lloyd Dean, CEO of Catholic Healthcare West and PQC member. "This historic partnership supports full funding of SCHIP because we believe it is a necessary first step towards meaningful reform of our healthcare system and ensuring that high quality healthcare is affordable to everyone—especially the poor and most vulnerable in our society."

To view the print ad, please click on: http://www.box.net/shared/static/xsv2ec71n9.pdf

The Cover Kids Now campaign can be found by clicking on: http://www.CoverKidsNow.org

About the PQC

As part of this reform effort, the PQC has released its Joint Principles for a Reformed American Healthcare System. Those principles are to:

Ensure universal health care coverage for all Americans;
Improve the quality and efficiency of health care services by adopting clinical best practices and promoting organized systems of care;
Establish a stable, equitable, broad-based, and predictable health care financing system;
Promote affordability and address rising health care costs by advancing opportunities to achieve the greatest value for our health care dollars;
Provide meaningful individual choice of providers and plans while promoting preventive care, protecting consumers from the costs of major illnesses, and improving the management of chronic conditions; and
Achieve greater reliability in health care coverage, including improved portability of coverage and continuity of care.

Click here to read the PDF

Partnership for Quality Care, Congressmembers Crowley, Nadler, Engel & Healthcare Advocates Call for Increase in State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

Thu, 31 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

CONTACTS: Kate Navarro-McKay (Partnership for Quality Care), 646-246-5906
Brian Conway (GNYHA), 917-576-1976
Stefan Friedman (1199/SEIU), 917-207-6801
Steve Osborne (Children's Hospital at Montefiore), 718-920-4011

Partnership for Quality Care, Congressmembers Crowley, Nadler, Engel & Healthcare Advocates Call for Increase in State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

Founding PQC members, Greater New York Hospital Association and 1199/SEIU join at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore to
Push for Tobacco Tax to Fund Expansion of Successful Federal Initiative

Bronx, NY—Surrounded by dozens of children, Congressmembers Joe Crowley, Jerrold Nadler and Eliot Engel today joined Greater New York Hospital Association President Ken Raske and 1199/SEIU incoming President George Gresham, (both of whom were also representing the new national coalition the Partnership for Quality Care), Montefiore Medical Center's Sr. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven M. Safyer and health advocates at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore to support fully funding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

"Every child in America should grow up healthy and have access to good doctors and adequate medical care," said Rep. Joe Crowley, member of the House Committee on Ways and Means that has shared jurisdiction over SCHIP. "To make that a reality, SCHIP--the federal-state partnership that offers health care coverage to our children--must have the resources it needs to maintain the level of care for those receiving its benefits and to expand coverage for our uninsured. That is why the Democratic-led Congress is going to make sure the federal government pays its fair share to ensure access for all children, including the 6.8 million who qualify for coverage under Medicaid or SCHIP but are not currently enrolled."

SCHIP covers millions of children nationwide and is widely recognized as a key component in reaching universal coverage for not only America's youth, but the entire population, here in New York, the program is especially vital. It provides healthcare coverage to nearly 400,000 kids in the Empire State alone, according to statistics released this month.

"By fully funding SCHIP, we can help keep our children healthy and strong," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler. "It is shameful that hundreds of thousands of children in New York-- indeed, millions across the nation--remain without healthcare coverage. Federal SCHIP funding is a key factor in the success of New York's Child Health Plus program, and the expansion we are pushing will help cover many more in need. Indeed, the more we spend on preventative care, the less we need to spend on children using the emergency room for medical problems that might have been avoided."

"I am a strong supporter of strengthening and expanding SCHIP, the single largest expansion of health insurance coverage for children since the initiation of Medicaid in 1965," said Rep. Eliot Engel. "One of the first items on our agenda in the Energy and Commerce Committee is the reauthorization of the SCHIP. As a member of House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, with jurisdiction over SCHIP, I will work hard to modernize and strengthen this important program. With 2/3rds of all uninsured children eligible for SCHIP, we must improve outreach to provide coverage to these deserving children. When we fail to provide our citizens with primary and preventive care, routine health problems compound into emergency conditions."

The timing could not be better to use an increase in the federal tobacco tax to help pay for the $50 billion over five years that experts predict will be needed to fully fund the federal SCHIP program. Earlier this month the national Institute of Medicine released a report that said efforts to decrease smoking have stalled, and laying out aggressive steps that need to be taken in order to decrease smoking, a national problem which takes up a staggering $89 billion a year in healthcare costs.

In calling for a federal tax on tobacco to fund SCHIP, advocates pointed out that such a tax had been used to support SCHIP at its inception, and that tobacco taxes have been demonstrated to decrease smoking, especially among young people. $50 billion in additional SCHIP funding is necessary not only to preserve an adequate level of funding for children in need of health insurance, but because SCHIP is a boost to New York State's economy, contributing more than $2.7 billion in federal funds since the program was founded in 1997.

"Expanding SCHIP and using a tobacco tax to help finance it is not only the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do," said Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) President Kenneth E. Raske. "I can think of no more important goal than making sure every child in the United States has health insurance, and protecting and expanding SCHIP funding is a critical step towards achieving that goal."

The Partnership for Quality Care (PQC), of which GNYHA and 1199/SEIU are founding members, is a unique, new coalition bringing together healthcare providers and labor unions to reform and improve the American health care system. It includes public, private, religious, teaching and nonprofit hospitals and integrated health systems as well as more than a million health care workers across the country. PQC, whose members care for more than 45 million patients each year, strongly supports SCHIP expansion.

"As representatives of front-line healthcare workers, we know how important SCHIP is to hundreds of thousands of families in New York and throughout the nation," said George Gresham, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and PQC member. "There are nine million uninsured children in the United States, and every day our workers see children in the emergency room for complications that could have been avoided with timely care. By making preventive and primary care more affordable, SCHIP helps parents keep kids healthy and in school, where they belong."

Today's event marks just one piece of a national effort aimed at raising national awareness about just how vital SCHIP is to America's kids. Earlier this month, similar events were held across the country in cities including Oakland, Los Angeles, Florida, Portland (OR), Providence (RI), Columbia (SC), Seattle and Green Bay (Wis.)

"This is the beginning of a national campaign, which brings together voices of the people on the front lines of health care--the health care workers and providers of care--who see and know from personal experience what happens when reliable access to good quality care is lacking," Dr. Steven M. Safyer, Sr. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Montefiore Medical Center. "We are united in our support of fully funding the state Children's Health Insurance Program at $50 billion over the next five years."

"As a pediatrician in a safety-net health care institution, I know first-hand how vulnerable many children from families of limited economic means are to lacking the consistent, reliable primary pediatric care so necessary to their early health and development," said Dr. Natasha Tejwani of Jacobi Medical Center, a local leader of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU. "SCHIP helps overcome that vulnerability, and therefore needs to be fully funded and expanded so that we can come closer to fulfilling our promise of good health for all America's children."

To reach Congressman Crowley, please contact Rohit Mahajan at 202-489-8021. To reach Congressman Nadler, please contact Shin Inouye at 202-225-5635. To reach Congressman Engel, please contact Joe O'Brien at 718 796-9700.

Click here to read the PDF.

Partnership for Quality Care, Congressmembers Crowley, Nadler, Engel & Healthcare Advocates Call for Increase in State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

Thu, 31 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 31, 2007
CONTACTS: Kate Navarro-McKay (Partnership for Quality Care), 646-246-5906
Brian Conway (GNYHA), 917-576-1976
Stefan Friedman (1199/SEIU), 917-207-6801
Steve Osborne (Children's Hospital at Montefiore), 718-920-4011

Partnership for Quality Care, Congressmembers Crowley, Nadler, Engel & Healthcare Advocates Call for Increase in State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

Founding PQC members, Greater New York Hospital Association and 1199/SEIU join at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore to Push for Tobacco Tax to Fund Expansion of Successful Federal Initiative

Bronx, NY -- Surrounded by dozens of children, Congressmembers Joe Crowley, Jerrold Nadler and Eliot Engel today joined Greater New York Hospital Association President Ken Raske and 1199/SEIU incoming President George Gresham, (both of whom were also representing the new national coalition the Partnership for Quality Care), Montefiore Medical Center's Sr. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven M. Safyer and health advocates at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore to support fully funding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

"By fully funding SCHIP, we can help keep our children healthy and strong," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler. "It is shameful that hundreds of thousands of children in New York -- indeed, millions across the nation--remain without healthcare coverage. Federal SCHIP funding is a key factor in the success of New York's Child Health Plus program, and the expansion we are pushing will help cover many more in need. Indeed, the more we spend on preventative care, the less we need to spend on children using the emergency room for medical problems that might have been avoided."

To reach Congressman Crowley, please contact Rohit Mahajan at 202-489-8021.

To reach Congressman Nadler, please contact Shin Inouye at 202-225-5635. To reach Congressman Engel, please contact Joe O'Brien at 718 796-9700.

Click here to read the PDF.

Letter to the House Ways & Means Committee

Tue, 22 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

May 22, 2007

The Honorable Charles Rangel
Chairman,
House Ways & Means Committee
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Jim McCrery
Ranking Member,
House Ways & Means Committee
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representatives:

As the House Ways & Means Committee considers some of our nation's most important domestic issues this year, we would like to voice our support for the key priority of reauthorizing and expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Partnership for Quality Care, a unique coalition of our nation's caregivers and providers devoted to reforming health care, strongly supports reauthorization and expansion of this successful, bi-partisan program that provides states with the flexibility to tailor the program to address their particular goals and circumstances.

The PQC encourages you to provide states with an increase of $50 billion over the next 5 years over and above current spending to enable states to continue to cover the children currently covered by SCHIP, undertake outreach to enroll the millions of families who are eligible but not enrolled, and expand coverage at their option.

We were pleased to see that a proposed increase in the federal tobacco tax received such strong bipartisan support in the Senate earlier this year and we encourage your Committee to support an equivalent measure in the House. Federal tobacco revenue was used to finance the creation of SCHIP in 1997, and we support the use of this revenue source to fund the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP. Tobacco taxes are a proven deterrent to smoking, especially for young people. They may also yield long-term benefit to the health care system by decreasing the rate of tobacco-related diseases.

As a coalition of frontline workers and leaders in the health care delivery system, we are committed to reform that covers all Americans and improves our health care system. The reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP will enable more individuals to receive health insurance, and improve the functioning of our health care system by increasing access to primary and preventive care. Uninsured individuals are at greater risk of inadequate access to such care. By providing comprehensive coverage to more low-income individuals and families, SCHIP promotes prevention and early treatment of diseases at the earliest and most costeffective stages, instead of treating them when patients are in crisis in emergency rooms. Using funds from an increased tobacco tax to support these efforts will have the added benefit of improving public health by decreasing smoking, especially among youth.

Sincerely,

Catholic Healthcare West
Daughters of Charity Health System
Greater New York Hospital Association
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Service Employees International Union
United Healthcare Workers-West
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
cc: Senate Finance Committee Members
House Ways & Means Committee Members

Click here to read the PDF.

Letter to the Senate Finance Committee

Tue, 22 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The Honorable Max Baucus
Chairman,
Senate Finance Committee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Charles Grassley
Ranking Member,
Senate Finance Committee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senators:

As the Senate Finance Committee considers some of our nation's most important domestic issues this year, we would like to voice our support for the key priority of reauthorizing and expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Partnership for Quality Care, a unique coalition of our nation's caregivers and providers devoted to reforming health care, strongly supports reauthorization and expansion of this successful, bipartisan program that provides states with the flexibility to tailor the program to address their
particular goals and circumstances.

We were pleased to see that a proposed increase in the federal tobacco tax received such strong bipartisan support in the Senate earlier this year. Federal tobacco revenue was used to finance the creation of SCHIP in 1997, and we support the use of this revenue source to fund the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP. Tobacco taxes are a proven deterrent to smoking, especially for young people. They may also yield long-term benefit to the health
care system by decreasing the rate of tobacco-related diseases.

As a coalition of frontline workers and leaders in the health care delivery system, we are committed to reform that covers all Americans and improves our health care system. The reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP will enable more individuals to receive health insurance, and improve the functioning of our health care system by increasing access to primary and preventive care. Uninsured individuals are at greater risk of inadequate access to such care. By providing comprehensive coverage to more low-income individuals and families, SCHIP promotes prevention and early treatment of diseases at the earliest and most
cost-effective stages, instead of treating them when patients are in crisis in emergency rooms. Using funds from an increased tobacco tax to support these efforts will have the added benefit of improving public health by decreasing smoking, especially among youth.

Sincerely,

Partnership for Quality Care Joins Congressman Pete Stark, Leaders & Advocates

Sat, 12 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2007
CONTACT: Kate Navarro-McKay, 646-246-5906

Partnership for Quality Care Joins Congressman Pete Stark, Leaders & Advocates
to Celebrate Mother's Day by Supporting Children's Health Insurance
Unique Labor-Management Health Partnership Pushes SCHIP Funding as Step toward Goal of Universal Healthcare in a High Quality, Affordable Healthcare System

Oakland, CA -- This Mother's Day weekend, Dr. Ruth Shaber of Kaiser Permanente, representing the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC), joined Congressman Pete Stark, Assemblymember Mary Hayashi, and other health care advocates to support full funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

The Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) is a unique new coalition bringing together health care providers and labor unions to reform and improve the American health care system. It includes public, private, religious, teaching and nonprofit hospitals and integrated health systems as well as more than a million health care workers across the country. Members of the Partnership care for more than 45 million patients each year.

"This Mother's Day, we want to say that fully funding SCHIP is not only the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do. As providers, we see every day what happens when patients do not get the care they need, or they receive care late, after diseases have progressed and prevention is no longer as effective.” said Dr. Ruth Shaber, Director of Women's Health Services in Northern California for Kaiser Permanente, which is a founding member of the PQC. "SCHIP makes it possible for children to access preventive and primary care in a timely way. This not only brings peace of mind to their mothers, it keeps kids healthy and in school, and it saves money.”

"As representatives of front-line healthcare workers, we know firsthand how important SCHIP is to millions of families,” said Sal Rosselli, President, SEIU United Healthcare Workers West and PQC member. "There are 9 million uninsured children in the United States, and every day our workers see parents who are worried they will have to choose between taking care of their sick child and paying the rent. The best gift we can give to Mothers this Mother's Day is the certainty that their children can get the healthcare they need when they need it.”

"Catholic Healthcare West believes that every person has a fundamental right to high-quality healthcare," said Lloyd Dean, CEO of Catholic Healthcare West and PQC member. "This historic partnership supports full funding of SCHIP because we believe it is a necessary first step towards meaningful reform of our healthcare system and ensuring that affordable, high quality healthcare is affordable to everyone—especially the poor and most vulnerable in our society.”

The PQC has pressed Congress to fully fund SCHIP to allow states to cut the number of uninsured children by half over the next five years. The partners are supporting events around Mother's Day to call attention to the critical need to fully fund SCHIP, a necessary first step to bring affordable and high quality health care coverage to every person in the United States.

The Partnership for Quality Care's California members—Kaiser Permanente, Catholic Healthcare West, the Daughters of Charity Health System and SEIU—are also at the center of Together for Healthcare, the business, labor, provider coalition that is working closely with the Governor and legislative leaders to help achieve comprehensive healthcare reform in California this year.

About the PQC

The PQC will work in 2007 and 2008 at the federal, state and local levels to advance reliable and affordable access to health care coverage for all Americans within a reformed health care system that aggressively promotes improved quality and efficiency.

As part of this reform effort, the PQC has released its Joint Principles for a Reformed American Healthcare System. Those principles are to:

Ensure universal health care coverage for all Americans;
Improve the quality and efficiency of health care services by adopting clinical best practices and promoting organized systems of care;
Establish a stable, equitable, broad-based, and predictable health care financing system;
Promote affordability and address rising health care costs by advancing opportunities to achieve the greatest value for our health care dollars;
Provide meaningful individual choice of providers and plans while promoting preventive care, protecting consumers from the costs of major illnesses, and improving the management of chronic conditions; and
Achieve greater reliability in health care coverage, including improved portability of coverage and continuity of care.

###

Powerful New Health Care Partnership Brings Together Labor & Management to Press for Universal Health Care Coverage

Wed, 02 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Powerful New Health Care Partnership Brings Together
Labor & Management to Press for Universal Health Care Coverage

First Goal: Significant Expansion of SCHIP

WASHINGTON, DC -- A unique new coalition that brings together some of the nation's largest health care providers and labor unions to press for the reform and improvement of our health care system launched today at a Capitol Hill news conference in Washington, D.C. The Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) includes public, private, religious, teaching and nonprofit hospitals and integrated health systems as well as more than a million health care workers across the country. Members of the Partnership care for more than 45 million patients each year.

"Members of this unprecedented labor/management partnership care for millions of patients each day," said Dennis Rivera, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. "From CEOs to nurses to certified nurse assistants, we know from personal experience the terrible cost of failing to provide quality care, and what reforms are most urgently needed. With this new Partnership, we are putting up resources to work together to secure universal health care coverage. This is truly unprecedented."

With an initial budget of at least $5 million, PQC will work in 2007 and 2008 to educate communities and elected representatives across the country through events, direct mail, grassroots and online organizing, media, and more. Following the news conference, leaders headed to Capitol Hill to press Congress to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to allow states to cut the number of uninsured children by half over the next five years. The partners will also support a variety of events around Mother's Day to call attention to the critical need to expand SCHIP.

"The Partnership for Quality Care will transcend ideological lines and cross traditional geographic and political boundaries, uniting those of us who are on the front lines providing care," said George C. Halvorson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. "We are the people who will build a 21st Century health care system, finding and implementing innovative ways to serve patients and promote policies that improve quality, expand access, and contain costs without compromising care."

"Catholic Healthcare West believes access to healthcare is a fundamental human right," said Lloyd Dean, Catholic Healthcare West President/CEO. "Americans today expect meaningful reform and an improved healthcare system. It will take leadership and partnerships such as this one to help us move forward. We are pleased to collaborate with members of this coalition to help achieve affordable, quality healthcare for everyone, especially the poor and most vulnerable in our society."

PQC's principles are to:

Ensure universal health care coverage for all Americans;
Improve the quality and efficiency of health care services by adopting clinical best practices and promoting organized systems of care;
Establish a stable, equitable, broad-based, and predictable health care financing system;
Promote affordability and address rising health care costs by advancing opportunities to achieve the greatest value for our health care dollars;
Provide meaningful individual choice of providers and plans while promoting preventive care, protecting consumers from the costs of major illnesses, and improving the management of chronic conditions; and
Achieve greater reliability in health care coverage, including improved portability of coverage and continuity of care.

"The hospitals in this coalition care for millions and millions of patients and families 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Kenneth E. Raske, President, Greater New York Hospital Association. "We understand the critical importance of improving the nation's health care system, and believe there has never been a better time for the national health care community to work together to bring about meaningful reform and real change."

"The unprecedented national partnership being announced today can help change our country," said Robert Issai, President and CEO, Daughters of Charity Health System. "The mission of the Daughters of Charity Health System is to provide excellent healthcare, and especially to serve and advocate for the poor. We see every day what happens when patients do not get the care they need, or they receive care late, after diseases have progressed and prevention is no longer as effective. Universal health care is critically important for the people and communities we serve. We are committed to working with our partners in this coalition to help achieve it."

The news conference also featured Michelle Estrada, RN, who works at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena Campus in Las Vegas, Nevada. Estrada discussed her personal experiences caring for patients in a system badly in need of reform.
PQC will work in 2007 and 2008 at the federal, state and local levels to advance reliable and affordable access to health care coverage for all Americans within a reformed health care system that aggressively promotes improved quality and efficiency.

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