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March 22, 2010

Los Angeles health care leaders react positively to bill passing

By Jessica Pauline Ogilvie, Contributing Writer

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Following hours of debate and more than a year of bitter partisan fighting, the House approve a health care bill Sunday night by a 219-212 vote that will provide insurance to millions of Americans. Several of the votes that tipped the scales came in on Sunday afternoon as abortion foes agreed that their demands had been met, and that the bill clearly stated that no public funding would be provided for abortion. The bill will affect the way health care is provided and received locally and nationally, and its passage touched on many providers’ hopes that care will be more readily available to those who need it.

“It is our hope that with the passage of healthcare reform, more dollars will come in to expand access to community clinics such as ours,” said Abbe Land, a co-CEO of the Saban Free Clinic. “[We hope] that there will be a focus to preventative care and wellness care…and that many folks who don’t have coverage will have access through some of the subsidies and the insurance pools.”

In a statement, Tom Priselac, President and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center expressed his support for the bill and the implications that it will have for those who are currently uninsured. “This legislation represents a very important milestone in the process to reform America’s health care system,” he said.

“It establishes a framework to preserve and expand access to health insurance, moderate the rate of increase in health care costs and assure that high-quality care is provided more uniformly across the country.”

Despite the fact that many of the clients the Saban Clinic sees do not have insurance, Land does not anticipate a dip in clients following the enactment of the bill, much of which won’t go into effect until 2014. She noted that, for example, undocumented immigrants are still left out of the bill. Addressing another shortcoming in health care, Land added that “there aren’t enough providers,” and that until that issue is addressed, patients will continue to seek care wherever they can. The way in which the changes are implemented will be of great concern to providers, Priselac said.

“It will be crucial that access to affordable quality health care is provided in a manner that responds to the different local needs of each community,” he said. “It takes a variety of hospitals to most effectively serve the community and beyond, including local community hospitals, county hospitals, and major academic medical centers.”

In his address following the passage of the bill, President Obama expressed reserved hope, stating that while this bill is not radical it nevertheless indicates a step forward for the nation. “This is what changes looks like,” he said.

A version of this article appeared in print.

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