Health Care Blog
Job Opportunities Being Created through the Affordable Care Act: A Discussion with Faith and Community Leaders
Posted by on March 7, 2011 at 3:10 PM EDT
(L-R) Meredith Graves, April Lightfoot, Junior Nursing Student from Washington, D.C., Mary Hill, Associate Dean of the Division of Nursing in the College of Pharmacy Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Ikechukwu Nwosu, Senior Nursing Student from Nigeria and Dean Beatrice Adderley-Kelley, College of Pharmacy Nursing and Allied Health Sciences from Howard University, following the discussion of the career opportunities being created in health care through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). *Photo Credit: Ryan Hamilton, Howard University.
The Department of Health & Human Services’ Partnership Center hosted a national conference call to discuss career opportunities being created in health care through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Dr. Mary Wakefield, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), discussed current programs and initiatives, as they relate to development of the health care workforce. As the highest ranking nurse in the Obama Administration, Dr. Wakefield understands the critical link between a robust and trained workforce and strong health care services in local communities: “With the Affordable Care Act (ACA) investments, we expect to double the number of people seen at community health centers between now and about 2015,” said Wakefield.
Through academic and public health collaborations, HRSA is fostering opportunities in health care careers, providing underserved and impoverished communities with high quality primary care. In addition, through investments in the ACA, programs like the National Health Services Corps can increase the number of clinicians supported.
Also participating in the call were Burt Waller and Dr. Mary Hill. Waller is the Executive Director of Christ Community Health Services in Memphis, TN and Hill serves as Associate Dean of the Division of Nursing at Howard University’s College of Pharmacy, Nursing & Allied Health Sciences in Washington, DC. Both gave firsthand accounts of how the ACA is making a difference in their communities.
Waller shared the story of a recent graduate who wanted to establish a dentistry practice in an underserved area. After accumulating nearly $200,000 in school-related debt, he was considering starting the practice in an affluent community. Burt’s organization worked with the young man to apply for a National Health Service Corps loan repayment. Once the repayment was awarded, he was able to establish his practice in a neighborhood that previously had no dental services for its low-income residents.
Dr. Hill also spoke about the impact of these investments. She said, “As a result of [health care reform], we now have an opportunity to make significant contributions in increasing access to affordable care through our efforts to educate the next generation of the primary care workforce.” Howard University has implemented a Registered Nurse to Bachelors of Science Nursing online program, which has helped to double its enrollment of upper division students entering the clinical nursing program. Dr. Hill also discussed the university’s future plans to establish a community health center for underserved and uninsured populations through a Nurse Managed Health Center.
Dr. Wakefield provided the best summary of the discussion. She said the Affordable Care Act is “recalibrating health care by focusing on services that keep people healthy and helping them manage their chronic conditions rather than simply waiting until they are ill and in need of more intense expensive care.”
As a follow-up to the call, here are some helpful ways to share this information to local communities and congregations:
- Promote National Health Service Corps scholarship opportunities for primary care training. For more information, go to http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/scholarship/
- Educate about opportunities in health careers and job training programs. For more information, go to http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/grants/affordablecareact.htm
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Share information with primary care and mental health providers about how their student loans may be repaid through the National Health Service Corps.
For more information go to http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/
As we continue on the path to economic recovery and healthier communities, this discussion reminds us that pursuing a career in health care is a sound and noble way to serve the community.
Please send any comments or questions to partnerships (at) hhs.gov.
Acacia Bamberg Salatti is the Deputy Director of the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (The Partnership Center) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Learn more about , Health Care, ServiceWeekly Wrap Up: Innovation, Education, and Even Some Motown
Posted by on March 4, 2011 at 8:24 PM EDTA quick look back at the week on WhiteHouse.gov:
On Education: This month, the President will be focused on his plan to improve American education through investments that focus on responsibility, reform, and results:
- President Obama travels to Miami to visit a high school that has been an example of how federal support has turned around struggling schools.
- John Legend encourages students to apply for the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. One high school will be selected to have President Obama speak at its commencement this spring. The deadline to apply is March 11.
- Oh, and Nick Jonas did too.
- The First Lady and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan read to children at the Library of Congress as part of "Read Across America Day," and in celebration of Dr. Seuss' 107th birthday.
Giving States the Power to Innovate: In his address to the meeting of the National Governors' Association, President Obama called for giving states the flexibility to find the best ways to meet standards of care outlined in the Affordable Care Act. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius explained what that flexibility means for states across the country.
Learn more about Defense, Economy, Education, Energy and Environment, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Homeland Security, Immigration, Service, Technology, Veterans, Women, Working Families, Additional IssuesProviding Healthcare for Children and Adults with Pre-Existing Conditions
Posted by on March 1, 2011 at 12:48 PM EDTCancer, traumatic brain injury and congestive heart failure are among the medical conditions that private insurance companies have cited as pre-existing conditions to deny millions of Americans healthcare coverage. Before the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), those who were classified as having a pre-existing condition were simply shut out of the healthcare market. With the passage of health reform, the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) was created, making health coverage available if you are uninsured and have been denied health insurance by private insurance companies because of a pre-existing condition.
Last week, we hosted a nation-wide conference call to discuss PCIP and provide faith and community leaders with valuable information and resources about the program to share with their communities and congregations.
I had the pleasure of moderating the discussion and was joined by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Richard Popper, Director of the Office of Insurance Programs at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. Richard, who leads a dedicated staff implementing several provisions of the Affordable Care Act, is directly responsible for the administration of the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan and shared his expert knowledge with all of us.
He began by outlining the criteria to qualify for PCIP. First, you must be a U.S. citizen or residing in the U.S. legally, second, you must have been uninsured for a minimum of six months before applying to PCIP and third you must have a pre-existing condition or have been denied coverage because of a health condition.
Learn more about Health Care, ServicePresident Obama to America's Governors: "The Flexibility That You Need to Find Your Own Innovative Ways Forward"
Posted by on February 28, 2011 at 5:19 PM EDTThis morning the President & Vice President addressed America's Governors, following the First Lady and Dr. Biden. They touched on topics ranging from rebuilding America's infrastructure to the changes in the health care law that the President endorsed, which would move the date up to 2014 when states could establish their own alternate systems outside the Affordable Care Act provided they can achieve the same results. The President laid out his fundamental approach this way:
You see, part of the genius of our Founders was the establishment of a federal system in which each of our states serves as a laboratory for our democracy. Through this process, some of the best state ideas became some of America’s best ideas. So whether it’s through Race to the Top, or improving the Affordable Care Act, or reforming the way that we approach social programs by ensuring that spending is tied to success, our approach has been to give you the flexibility that you need to find your own innovative ways forward.
Empowering States to Innovate
Posted by on February 28, 2011 at 12:56 PM EDTAs a former Governor, state legislator, and insurance commissioner, I know the ingenuity of state leaders to shape policies that fit the individual characteristics of their people, their industries, and their economies. The Affordable Care Act, signed by President Obama almost a year ago, provides states with the flexibility, resources and tools they need to improve the health of their residents, reduce the growth of health care costs, and invest in the prevention strategies that will make our nation healthier and more productive. Many of the ideas contained in the Act were modeled on reforms initiated by states like my home state of Kansas. And you can read a report on the resources and flexibility available to states here.
Today, President Obama announced his support for another crucial step in empowering states to lead – the bipartisan “Empowering States to Innovate Act,” sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts), and Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana). The President said:
"This recognition – that states need flexibility to tailor their approach to their unique needs – is why part of the law says that, beginning in 2017, if you can come up with a better system for your state to provide coverage of the same quality and affordability as the Affordable Care Act, you can take that route instead…
A few weeks ago, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, a Republican, and Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, they proposed legislation that would accelerate that provision, so it would allow states to apply for such a waiver by 2014 instead of 2017. I think that’s a very reasonable proposal. I support it. It will give you flexibility more quickly, while still guaranteeing the American people reform. If your state can create a plan that covers as many people as affordably and comprehensively as the Affordable Care Act does – without increasing the deficit – you can implement that plan, and we’ll work with you to do it. I’ve said before, I don’t believe that either party holds a monopoly on good ideas. And I will go to bat for whatever works, no matter who or where it comes from."
Learn more about Health CareSeventeen Small Business Tax Cuts and Counting
Posted by on February 25, 2011 at 9:16 PM EDTSmall businesses are the backbone of the American economy. President Obama's focus on strengthening small business has included reaching out to entrepreneurs and small business owners, asking them what's working and what needs to work better. Through Advise the Advisor, and this week's Winning the Future Small Business Forum in Ohio, the President has heard from thousands of Americans.
One of the questions we've seen is about what the Obama Administration has done to cut taxes for small businesses. On Twitter, lindismith asked @whitehouse, "What are the 17 new tax cuts for small businesses Obama signed into law?" Well, we took that question to some of the President's top economic advisers, and here's what they had to say.
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