This afternoon, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will deliver a speech entitled, “Health Reform and You: How the New Law Will Increase Your Health Security” at the National Press Club. Here are excerpts of her remarks as prepared for delivery:
When the conversation about reforming our health insurance system began nearly a year ago, there were some pundits who thought the days of America solving big problems were over. They wondered whether transformative legislation like Social Security and Medicare was part of
a bygone era like soda fountains and five cent matinees. Last month, those pundits got a definitive answer. After decades of asking, “When are we going to fix our broken health insurance system?” – we finally have an answer: “starting now.”
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But our work didn’t end when President Obama put down his pen. In some ways, it’s just begun.
We have a great law. Now, we have to carry it out effectively.
To do that, we’ll need to communicate clearly with the American people. Many of our friends and neighbors still have questions about this law. That’s understandable. Given the complexity of our health care system, which makes up one sixth of our economy, it would be surprising if they didn’t. And it didn’t help that they were bombarded by nearly two hundred million dollars in ads over the last year, many of which were intentionally misleading.
For these Americans, our department will serve as a nationwide health insurance reform Help Desk. If you have questions, we’ll have answers. If you aren’t sure what to believe, we’ll have the facts.
We know that the only way this law will achieve its full potential is if Americans understand and take advantage of all the new benefits and choices that will be available to them.
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For years, Americans have struggled with a health insurance system that was opaque, unnecessarily confusing, and often overwhelming to navigate. Our goal as we implement this law is to be the opposite of that – to be as clear and transparent as possible. As soon as we know something, we’re going to tell you.
But ultimately, we recognize that actions speak louder than words. No matter how good a job we do educating Americans about the benefits for them in the bill, it won’t be much use unless we also implement those policies responsibly and effectively. As the President has said many times, we need to get this right. And as the letters I get every day make clear, we have no time to waste.
So in the week since President Obama signed this law, we’re already acting. We’ve restructured the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that it’s better prepared to take on its new responsibilities under health insurance reform. Last Friday, we began working with states to create a new high risk pool program that will help uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions get coverage. Yesterday, we sent new guidance to Medicare Advantage plans, which includes stronger cost sharing protections for seniors. And later this week, we’ll open new Medicaid options to cover low-income adults.
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Our goal is to put these Americans back in charge of their health care. We will provide information and education if it’s needed; set basic guidelines that will help foster a competitive insurance market; serve as an umpire to make sure insurance companies treat Americans fairly; and provide targeted resources to help empower consumers. But ultimately, this isn’t about us. It’s about you. It’s about giving Americans more choices, more security, and more control.
