Cong. Bobby L. Rush says new health care law is a 'giant step forward' in righting the wrongs in U.S. health care

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congressman Bobby L. Rush  (D-IL01) joined President Barack Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid  and his many colleagues in Congress at the White House in the historic signing of health care  reform legislation into law. Having fought for a number of provisions that were included in the bill, the legislator commended the President, Congress and his colleagues for taking a "giant step forward."

"Today history has been made and no longer will Americans suffer because of a lack of access to quality health care," Rep. Rush said. "We have taken a giant step forward in righting the wrongs in the U.S. health care system. Right now nearly 1 in 5 African Americans are without health insurance.  Also, African Americans in general spend a higher percentage of their income on health care costs compared to their white counterparts (16.5% vs. 12.2%).  However, despite spending a larger share of their income on medical care, African Americans face continuing health care disparities. Because of the creative leadership of President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, we moved in the right direction toward eliminating disparities that minorities currently face both in their health and in their health care."

Rep. Rush also noted several of his provisions he fought for have now become law including: funding for research and treatment of post partum depression, legislation he championed in the Melanie Blocker Stokes post partum depression act; the Collaborative Care Network Demonstration Project; the School Grants for Healthcare Curricula; funding for building trauma centers in urban areas with high incidence of violence; increased clinical research trials for minorities and subpopulations; and other important reforms for the Medicaid 340B program for outpatient care.

"For too long, Washington has talked about fixing our broken health care system, only to allow the same old partisan politics and special interest lobbying to block change," Rep. Rush said.  "But this isn't a Democratic issue or a Republican one – it's a moral imperative. No one in a country as great as ours should have to worry about getting health care or worry about going broke just because they got sick."