FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2006
CONTACT: C. Chic Smith
301-443-1592 office / 202-689-4885 cell
Email: csmith@ahrq.gov / Web site: www.citizenshealthcare.gov
NATIONAL HEALTH CARE DISCUSSION COMES TO THE BIG APPLE
Citizens' recommendations to be considered by Congress, White House
Washington, D.C. – The Citizens’ Health Care Working Group will host a community dialogue on health care in America in New York City on Saturday, April 22nd, from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm. The community meeting will be held at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr., State Office Building, Windows Over Harlem Restaurant, 163 West 125th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10027. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Registration is available by contacting Katie Nelson at 212-334-1212 or online at www.citizenshealthcare.gov. Onsite registration is also available.
“New Yorkers share the concern of citizens throughout the nation about cost, quality and access to health care,” said Richard Frank, a professor of health economics at Harvard University Medical School and a Working Group Member. “This meeting represents an important opportunity to bring a key voice to the health policy debate, that of every day Americans.”
This community meeting is one of three dozen taking place throughout the nation. At the conclusion of the community meetings, the Working Group will develop recommendations which the President will review and on which five Congressional Committees will hold hearings.
The community meetings feature a multimedia presentation that provides information on the nation’s health care system followed by a moderated discussion of what health care services should be provided, how they should be delivered and financed, and trade-offs Americans are willing to make to improve the system. In addition, community members are encouraged to share their opinions and views by using the Public Comment Center, the Citizens’ Blogs and Discussion Forums at www.citizenshealthcare.gov. Reports from completed meetings are also available.
The Working Group, a nonpartisan group authorized by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, is charged with listening to the views of the American people and developing recommendations for the President and Congress to provide U.S. citizens with “Health Care that Works for All Americans.” The Health Report to the American People was released in October and serves as a basis to engage the American people in a dialogue on health care access, cost and quality issues. The Working Group consists of 15 members -- 14 citizens of diverse backgrounds from across the country, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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