The Epilepsy Foundation Joins Leading Patient Advocacy Organizations in Supporting Health Care Reform

Washington, D.C. June 2--Forty-eight leading national patient organizations have called on President Obama and members of Congress to enact health care reform legislation that guarantees effective and affordable health and long-term care coverage for all Americans. The Epilepsy Foundation and other organizations that signed the joint statement are all members of the National Health Council (NHC), the only organization of its kind that brings together all segments of the health care community to provide a united voice for the more than 133 million people with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers.

In the statement, the chief executives of the patient groups urged that reform legislation should be inclusive, affordable and comprehensive.  

The lack of effective health care coverage is one of the most important issues facing our nation. Nearly 50 million Americans have no coverage at all! Many more have coverage that does not provide for their basic health and long-term care needs. The problem is especially acute for Americans with a chronic disease or disability — the people we represent.  

We support health care that covers everyone, curbs costs responsibly, abolishes exclusions for pre-existing conditions, eliminates lifetime caps, and ensures long-term and end-of-life care.  

On behalf of the more than 133 million people with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers, we urge the Administration and Congress to enact specific solutions that guarantee effective and affordable health and long-term care coverage for all Americans. 

An advertisement with the statement signed by the 48 CEOs, including Eric Hargis, Epilepsy Foundation president and CEO, appeared in the June 3 edition of Politico.

The Epilepsy Foundation believes that health care reform proposals must address the needs of individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities like epilepsy. The lack of access to neurologists and to appropriate treatments makes a dramatic impact on the health, family and employment situations of individuals living with epilepsy and seizures.