My visit to the White House
March 4, 2010
This past Wednesday, I was invited to the White House to attend President Obama’s announcement of his new proposal for healthcare reform at following the bi-partisan summit. I re-scheduled my meetings, gathered up the work I needed to do on the plane, and set out for Washington.
Together with the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and other children’s hospitals across the country, Children’s Memorial Hospital has been working hard to educate the Administration and Congress about the importance of addressing grossly inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates for pediatric specialists in these reform efforts. Both the House and Senate-passed versions of healthcare reform bills include many positive provisions for children, but no Medicaid rate increases for pediatric specialists. However, I was heartened by a letter the President wrote to Democratic and Republic Congressional leadership on March 2 that lists four policy priorities identified by Republicans that he believes are worth exploring further. One of these four priorities is the need to address inadequate payment of physicians under Medicaid, based on a concern raised by Senator Charles Grassley and shared by many Democrats.
About 100 of us gathered in the East Room of the White House to listen to the President present his new proposal. He reiterated why reform is so crucial and what he believes it will mean for American families and businesses. The Administration’s new goal is to pass a healthcare reform package by the end of March. Whether this deadline is met or not, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure that the talented pediatric specialists who care for our most critically ill and injured children are adequately reimbursed for this care.
As I was exiting the White House and pondering the historic significance of this building and the healthcare debate underway, I tripped and stumbled a bit on the stairs, much to my own embarrassment. It reminded me of two key strategies when advocating on an important issue - stay focused and stay humble.
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