Pelavin: "We continue to oppose legislative attempts to repeal or de-fund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and urge lawmakers to, instead, focus on ways to strengthen the law and help fulfill its goals of providing inclusive, accessible, affordable and accountable health care for all."
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WASHINGTON, D.C., March 23, 2011 -- One year ago today, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, groundbreaking health care reform legislation for which the Reform Movement was and continues to be a strong advocate. On today's anniversary, Mark J. Pelavin, Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
On today's anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we recall the great sense of pride and progress we felt as we watched President Obama and Members of Congress meet the challenge of fixing our broken health care system. One year later, Americans of all ages and backgrounds are starting to experience the benefits of health care reform, whether it is the college graduate who can now remain on his parents' health plan until age 26 or the senior citizen who can now afford her prescription drugs under Medicare Part D.
When the law was passed, we noted that, like all legislation, it is an imperfect collection of compromises; yet, taken together, these compromises are helping transform our health care system into one that is just and one that provides for all Americans, regardless of income level or health status. Many of the Reform Movement's more than 900 congregations joined the Religious Action Center in advocating for this vital law, whether by contacting their Members of Congress, signing a petition expressing their support for the law or engaging in outreach to educate their communities about the law's benefits.
Yet even as the law's benefits come into force, some seek to repeal it. We continue to oppose legislative attempts to repeal or de-fund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and urge lawmakers to, instead, focus on ways to strengthen the law and help fulfill its goals of providing inclusive, accessible, affordable and accountable health care for all.
