ASHP Responds to President's Address to Congress

2/26/2009

ASHP is gearing up to work with the Obama administration as plans begin to take shape for health care reform. Reforming the health care system was a major theme of the president’s address to a joint session of Congress last night.

President Obama noted that the cost of health care was a contributing cause of the nation’s economic woes and needed to be reformed this year as a key investment for long-term recovery and competitiveness.

The Society will continue its ongoing dialogue with congressional leaders and staff who are developing health care reform proposals, and will urge the policymakers to consider solutions that allow patients to benefit from the medication expertise of pharmacists.

ASHP will also call on the Obama administration to include pharmacists in discussions as reform proposals are being developed. The Society previously provided officials in the Obama administration with its Principles for Health Care Reform as well as a similar document developed by a coalition of pharmacy organizations.

Health information technology, research on cancer and other diseases, quality initiatives, an emphasis on preventive care, and efforts to clean up the Medicare program were all elements of reform mentioned in the President’s address. The President challenged Congress and the nation to enact reform this year, and noted a planned summit scheduled next week to begin to focus on the issue.