Make a Call for Health Care Reform

The AHA has set-up the Hearts for Health Care hotline to help connect you to your legislators, so you can speak up for meaningful health care reform. Simply call 1-877-854-4327 and select 2 to be connected to a live operator. They will patch you right through to your lawmakers.

If you’ve never called Congress before, don’t worry – it’s easy! When a staff member answers your call, you can say:

• My name is ________ and I am calling from _________.
• 80 million Americans are living with heart disease, stroke or other cardiovascular disease today and they need health care reform that ensures that health care is accessible, affordable, and adequate.
• I stand with the American Heart Association and its American Stroke Association division in urging all members of Congress to vote “yes” on meaningful, affordable health care reform THIS year.
• Thank you for passing this message on to my legislator.

All of us have a very real stake in Congressional decisions about health care reform—and making this quick call can make a big difference!

A Health Care To-Do List for Congress

To help Congress stay focused on putting the patient first as they address health care reform, the American Heart Association has created a health care to-do list of eight common-sense reforms that would bring adequate, affordable health care to heart disease and stroke patients, and those at risk.

Visit http://www.heartsforhealthcare.org/ today to send your representatives on Capitol Hill a copy!

Heart Association CEO Comments on President's Address

Statement by American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown on President Obama’s Address to Joint Session of Congress on Health Care Reform

(Washington, September 10, 2009) -- The President has reminded us that health care reform is not about politics, it’s about real people who wake up each day hoping that a medical emergency won’t throw them into bankruptcy. We all agree that the current health care system is not working well for the insured, it’s not working well for the underinsured and it’s certainly not working for the uninsured. That’s why we’re pleased the President has brought the debate back to where it started – focusing on the needs of Americans who cannot access affordable, quality health care. We cannot forget the children with congenital heart defects who surpass their lifetime insurance coverage limits before they’re toddlers, we cannot forget the families who lose their homes because of high out-of-pocket medical expenses to treat a chronic illness, and we cannot forget those who go without needed, even lifesaving care because they can’t access or afford insurance. Their stories must be the reason why Congress must continue in their efforts to find common ground and pass meaningful health reform this year. We urge Congress to not lose sight of the goal we all share - to build upon what works in our health care system and fix those parts that are broken and simply unsustainable.

New Childhood Obesity Report

Statement by American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown on Recommendations in New IOM Childhood Obesity Report

September 2, 2009

The American Heart Association commends the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council for recommending a solid array of meaningful community actions in their new report Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity. Overweight children have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults. With childhood obesity rates on the rise nationwide, our youngsters have substantially greater risks for developing and dying from chronic illnesses such as heart disease and stroke in early adulthood. But we can play a critical role in helping our children live longer, healthier lives by reaching them where they live and play through increased physical activity and improved nutrition. The American Heart Association is committed to continuing our advocacy effort and the contributing role we have at the state and community level to implement many of the report’s recommendations such as advancing menu labeling legislation, implementing safe routes to school, improving nutrition and physical activity in before-and-after school programs, increasing access to healthy and affordable foods, and making changes to the built environment that increase availability of walking and biking trails and recreational facilities. By making comprehensive policy and environmental changes, we can dramatically improve the health and well-being of our children and reduce their risk for chronic diseases. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be applauded for sponsoring this study and providing a framework for a national call-to-action. For more information visit, www.americanheart.org/obesitypolicy

(IOM report) Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity: http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/59845/72798.aspx