OUR VALUES
PICO took up the fight for national health reform because of the profound health care disparities that exist in the communities we organize. Many families don’t have access to a doctor, are worried about the cost of care, and are suffering from health conditions that lower their quality of life and even cause early death.
We believe that everyone should be able to see a doctor when they need, at a cost they can afford.
Health reform is an opportunity to work together and use the resources of the law to create health equity and make life better for our families, friends and communities. And we’re starting now.
OUR VALUES
PICO took up the fight for national health reform because of the profound health care disparities that exist in the communities we organize. Many families don’t have access to a doctor, are worried about the cost of care, and are suffering from health conditions that lower their quality of life and even cause early death.
We believe that everyone should be able to see a doctor when they need, at a cost they can afford.
Health reform is an opportunity to work together and use the resources of the law to create health equity and make life better for our families, friends and communities. And we’re starting now.
BRING HEALTH REFORM HOME
The new law brings historic changes to our nation’s health care system in 3 major categories:(1) the law provides near universal coverage through Medicaid expansion and Exchange subsidies (2) the law regulates insurance companies to protect families from rising premiums and denial of coverage and (3) the law improves community health and the quality of care by incentivizing healthcare providers to focus on preventative care and coordination. Together, these changes increase families’ access to and quality of care, improve health outcomes and begin to control rising costs.
WHAT IS THE CAMPAIGN
Bring Health Reform Home is a multi-faceted campaign in Camden, Trenton, Newark, Allentown, Brooklyn, New Orleans, Kansas City, Denver, Sacramento and San Diego to use the benefits and resources of the law to transform local healthcare systems and create equity for underserved communities. Clergy and community are taking the lead to educate families about the benefits of the law, and to organize engagement in local, state and federal efforts both to influence implementation and to protect the law from political threat.
FOCUS 1: LOCAL
Creating a new standard of good care in communities
Many PICO families live in neighborhood health “hotspots,” where families depend on Medicare and Medicaid, have limited access to primary care, suffer from chronic conditions, and often use emergency rooms as the only source of care. PICO federations are applying the model pioneered by PICO Camden Churches Organized for People and Dr. Jeff Brenner from the Camden Coalition of Health Care Providers to shift Medicaid dollars from high-cost Emergency Room spending to lower-cost primary and preventive care for the families that need it most. (Maybe insert a “read more” link here to shift some of the text off this page) Community driven healthcare transformation centers on 4 main principles: 1) regional collaboration between providers and community, 2) data sharing on patient needs, diagnoses and hospital visits, 3) changing clinical practice to include home visits and other high-touch levels of care and 4) payment reform to reward primary care and care management. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, funded with $10 billion under the new health care law, is prioritizing demonstration projects across the country to incentivize healthcare providers to collectively care for a set of high need patients, under the premise that good care will not only produce better outcomes for communities but will lower healthcare costs. PICO’s Bring Health Reform Home campaign aims to engage impacted communities in partnering with providers to create patient-centered medical homes and define community health priorities, in order to make local healthcare systems truly accountable to the families they serve.
FOCUS 2: PROTECTING THE LAW
Medicaid Matters Across Generations
Congressional plans to balance the budget with massive Medicaid cuts are a huge threat to families already enrolled in the program or counting on the 2014 expansion. PICO is working in three ways to protect families: (1) Mobilize families to urge Members of Congress to focus on job creation and new revenue from corporations and billionaires who are not paying their fair share, (2) Engage federal and state legislators in strengthening Medicaid by investing in primary care and care management to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, (3) Press the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to invest in community-driven strategies for primary and preventative safety-net care for better health outcomes while lowering costs.
RESOURCES
New Webinar Series: PICO launches new webinar series "Building Accountable Care Organizations" with Dr. Jeff Brenner and other health experts
Join our new webinar series to learn how communities can lead the effort to improve health care while lowering costs. Brought to you by a partnership between the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers and the PICO National Network, these online presentations will give community organizers, civic leaders and health care providers the building blocks to develop strong safety-net ACO's that improve health care and reduce disparities in their own communities. We'll share concrete ideas about how community organizing and "provider champions" can work together to align key stakeholders to reorganize local healthcare systems. See webinar schedule and RSVP.
Bring Health Reform Home joined clergy and people of faith to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Bring Health Reform Home joined clergy and people of faith to launch a national campaign to celebrate the one-year anniversary of passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the landmark health care law. The campaign included public events in nine cities and radio ads on religious radio in four key media markets, as well as a letter from more than ten thousand people of faith to Members of Congress in support of the ACA.
Make your voice heard!
What if Health Care went Away? Take the Pledge to Protect Medicare and Medicaid
"I pledge to protect Medicare and Medicaid against efforts to privatize and block grant these programs that are so critical for seniors, the disabled and struggling families. Our priority should be controlling rising health care costs, not cutting care for those who need it the most." Take the Pledge
Petition Against the Repeal of Health Reform: Givereformachance.org
"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."- Martin Luther King Jr. in a speech to the Medical Committee for Human Rights, 1966
"As a person of faith I believe in the dignity of every person. The new health reform law is an important step toward ensuring access to affordable health coverage to all Americans. It should be given a chance to work, not repealed. " Sign the petition
Health Care documents to download and share with your community:
- How do I benefit from the Affordable Care Act? Health Care Survey: DOC | PDF
- Health Implementation Chart: What Does Health Care Reform Mean for You and Your Family - English (8.5 x 11) PDF
- Health Implementation Chart: What Does Health Care Reform Mean for You and Your Family - Spanish (8.5 x14) PDF
- Health Care Power Point Presentation: English | Spanish
- Health Care Reform poster, "What Does Health Care Reform Mean for You and Your Family?" To order a full-color poster(s) for your organization or community see our online form.
- To order the "Get the fact on what health care changes will mean for your family" doorhanger see our online form. Preview the doorhanger, (PDF only) ENG | SPA
Additional Resources:
The White House on Putting Americans In Control of their Health Care http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform
US Department of Health and Human Services to Explore Your Coverage Options http://www.healthcare.gov/
CuidadoDeSalud.gov: Tome control del cuidado de su salud http://www.cuidadodesalud.gov/enes/
For answers to frequently asked questions see: http://answers.hhs.gov/
