HHS Issues Special Report on Health Reform and Launches New healthreform.gov Web Site

Americans expressed serious concerns regarding health care in a new report released today by the Department of Health and Human Services. The report, Americans Speak on Health Reform: Report on Health Care Community Discussions, summarizes comments from the thousands of Americans who hosted and participated in Health Care Community Discussions across the country and highlights the need for immediate action to reform health care. The report is available on a new Web site dedicated to health reform: www.healthreform.gov. Unveiled today, the Web site will allow Americans to view today's White House Health Forum, share their thoughts about health reform with the Obama Administration and sign a statement in support of President Obama's commitment to enacting comprehensive health reform this year. "This new Web site, www.healthreform.gov and report ensure that when we discuss health reform, the American people will have an equal stake in the health reform efforts," said HHS Spokeswoman Jenny Backus. "Sky-rocketing health care costs are creating enormous pressure on families, on businesses and our fiscal future. The Obama Administration is committed to taking action this year on health reform and is calling on government, business, health care stakeholders and everyday Americans to come together to make it happen." In December, then President-elect Obama called on the American people to host Health Care Community Discussions to assess the seriousness of the problems and identify solutions. In the last eight years, health insurance premiums have grown four times faster than wages and one million more Americans have lost their health insurance each year. Health care costs have forced small businesses to close their doors and compelled corporations to ship jobs overseas. Over 9,000 people signed up in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to host a discussion, and thousands more participated in these gatherings. After each Health Care Community Discussion, guests and hosts were asked to fill out a Participant Survey and submit a group report to the Presidential Transition Team's Web site summarizing the group's concerns and suggestions. Group reports from 3,276 Health Care Community Discussions as well as Participant Surveys from 30,603 participants were collected, analyzed, and are summarized in the report.