http://www.nursingworld.org/Support-PPACAJanuary 18, 2011
Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi:
On behalf of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation‟s 3.1 million registered nurses, I am writing to express our opposition to H.R. 2, the Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act, and implore you to vote “no” when the bill comes before the House tomorrow. H.R. 2 would repeal both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and parts of the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010. Nurses support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) because it will expand insurance coverage and transform our nation‟s health care system from one that focuses on „sick‟ care to a model that emphasizes prevention, primary care, and disease management. As fierce advocates for our patients, we do not want to continue to see them delay or forgo much-needed care, only to arrive in emergency rooms across the country for costly conditions that could have been easily prevented with access to primary care. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act puts patients at the center of care and recognizes the vital role that nurses play in health care delivery. It emphasizes coordinated models of care and provides for major investments in improving the quality of care and in nursing workforce development. For these reasons and more, we believe that a vote for repeal would be a devastating step backward. As the largest single group of clinical health care professionals within the health system, licensed registered nurses are on the front lines. We strongly believe that affordable, accessible, quality, health care for all should not be a partisan or political issue. We appreciate your consideration of our position and views and look forward to working with you on these issues and more in the 112th Congress.
We get it.