CONTACT: Joseph Ditré, Executive Director, Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation, 207-622-7083

HEALTH CARE REFORM ADVOCACY IN MAINE SET TO RECEIVE A BOOST

Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation announces support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to bolster state health reform efforts

Augusta, Maine - Consumers for Affordable Care Foundation (CAHC) announced today that they have been selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Community Catalyst to participate in a new grant project providing technical and financial resources to support health reform efforts in Maine. The organization will participate in the Consumer Voices for Coverage grant initiative, which supports state advocacy efforts by fostering strong and robust advocacy infrastructures. A Leadership Team made up of the American Cancer Society/Maine, the Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Children's Alliance, Maine Council of Churches, the Maine Center for Economic Policy, Maine Equal Justice, and the Maine People's Resource Center will work with CAHC to help guide the efforts of this project over the next three years.

"There is tremendous momentum in the states for implementing effective health care reform. We know from experience that the voices of consumers - the men and women who work hard each day to support their families - are often the most effective in driving necessary change," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "As states launch ambitious health care reform efforts to ensure that more Americans have health insurance, advocates for consumers will be able to make their voices heard."

Consumer Voices for Coverage will enhance the critical role that advocates play in shaping and promoting comprehensive health reform. The $15 million initiative will strengthen existing advocacy networks in 12 states. Community Catalyst, a national non-profit consumer health advocacy organization headquartered in Boston, will coordinate the effort nationwide.

"Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that works everyday to make health care more affordable for Maine families and businesses. Being chosen to receive this grant signifies that health care experts nationwide recognize the tireless work of our organization and our partner organizations for the public interest over the past 20 years. It also recognizes Maine's continued role as a leader for the nation in increasing the number of residents who have good health insurance coverage," said Joseph Ditré, executive director of Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation.

"The voices of hard working people who face real struggles because they lose health coverage after losing or changing jobs, or who don't have coverage because their employer can't or doesn't offer it need to be heard by state policymakers. We see this grant as a real opportunity to bring the needs of the people that ultimately pay all the bills for their health coverage and care together with businesses, health providers, government agencies, and civic and religious leaders in our communities. We look forward to working toward a common goal to ensure that all Mainers can get medical care when they need it without worry of going into debt," said Ditré.

Other state organizations chosen to lead Consumer Voices for Coverage networks in select states include:

• California -- Health Access Foundation
• Colorado -- Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
  
• Illinois -- Campaign for Better Health Care
  
• Maryland -- Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative Education Fund, Inc.
  
• Minnesota -- TakeAction Minnesota Education Fund
  
• New Jersey -- New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund
  
• New York -- The Community Service Society
  
• Ohio -- Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio, Inc.
  
• Oregon -- Oregon Health Action Campaign
  
• Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Unemployment Project/Unemployment Information Center
  
• Washington -- Washington Community Action Network Education and Research Fund

Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation was founded in May 1988. Through this project, it will continue its long history of working with broad-based coalitions to expand access to affordable health care coverage. Over the next three years, it will work with the organizations that are members of this project's Leadership Team, listed above, to achieve the objective of working with community and business leaders to identify ways to ensure that all Maine people have affordable, quality health care and coverage. In short, the goal is guaranteed, affordable coverage that provides choice and stability in our health system.

"For almost 20 years, Consumers for Affordable Health Care has been a leader in efforts to reform health care in Maine. We are excited to work with such a strong organization to increase momentum towards action in this state," said Susan T. Sherry, deputy director of Community Catalyst, who directs Consumer Voices for Coverage. "Supporting networks that bring the views of real people to policymakers and key thought leaders in the states about the need for coverage expansion can be a powerful inducement for reform."

Additional information on Consumer Voices for Coverage can be found at www.voicesforcoverage.org.

About the Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation
Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation is a non-profit organization, located in Augusta, Maine, that advocates for affordable, quality health care for all Maine people. It operates a toll-free health care HelpLine, conducts policy and legal research and analysis, and provides training and education on health care coverage and health policy topics. Its sister organization, Consumers for Affordable Health Care Coalition, is the state's largest coalition of businesses, consumers, faith-based organizations, health care providers, and organized labor advocating the right to health care for every man, woman and child. Its collective membership represents the health care and coverage interests of over 200,000 Maine citizens.

About Community Catalyst
Community Catalyst is a national non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to quality affordable health care for all. Since 1997, Community Catalyst has been working to build the consumer and community leadership required to transform the American health system. With the belief that this transformation will happen when consumers are fully engaged and have an organized voice, Community Catalyst works in partnership with national, state and local consumer organizations, policymakers, and foundations, providing leadership and support to change the health care system so it serves everyone-especially vulnerable members of society. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. By helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.

Return to Foundation News and Publications