FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 19, 2011
Contact:
Jackeline Stewart
(202) 785-1670
Washington, DC—Calling recent efforts to repeal health care reform “extreme,” Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza)—the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—urged the House of Representatives to firmly oppose proposals that would reverse the nation’s landmark health care reform.
“Voting down the ‘Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act’ (H.R. 2 and H.Res. 9) is a vote in the interest of all Americans. NCLR calls on Congress to take a stand against efforts that will take our nation backwards,” said Murguía.
Nearly 16 million Latinos went without health insurance in 2009. Health care reform and the upcoming implementation of health insurance exchanges would provide expanded options to buy private coverage, and the new law improves health care for the majority of uninsured Hispanics by expanding consumer coverage protections and strengthening civil rights in health care settings.
Despite imperfections in the law, health care reform policies have made strides in fixing our health care system and extending much-needed benefits to more Americans. Small businesses are using the tax credits afforded through the law to cover their employees, parents are covering their young adult children, and thousands of individuals with preexisting medical conditions now have access to insurance that had been withheld previously.
“Instead of repeal, Congress should take measures to improve health care reform policies where needed and let administrators get down to the business of implementing the many good provisions in the laws,” said Murguía. “Latinos are counting on Congress to make health care better in their communities.”
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