DENVER, CO - Today, Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer (MD-5) joined Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-1) to highlight the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the people of Colorado – particularly with regards to safety-net hospitals and community health centers.  Hoyer and DeGette discussed the local and national implications of the new reforms while visiting Colorado’s primary safety-net hospital, Denver Health.  They were joined by Dr. Patricia A. Gabow, CEO and Medical Director of Denver Health, and Dr. Paul Melinkovich, Director, Denver Health Community Health Services, who spoke about the great promise of health reform, and the impact on the Colorado health care community. 

“The Affordable Care Act dramatically decreases the number of uninsured Americans, meaning that no longer will a significant portion of our population use the ER as their primary care physician,” said DeGette.  “This will allow emergency rooms, such as the one at Denver Health, to more quickly provide their outstanding care to the individuals that need it most, while those with less pressing concerns can seek refuge in our burgeoning community health centers.  The Affordable Care Act helps Americans get the right care, at the right place, at the right cost.  Majority Leader Hoyer and I share a commitment to the safety and health of our children and families, and I was honored to show him today the extraordinary care provided by the physicians, nurses, and employees at Denver Health.”

More than 8 million new Americans are expected to receive coverage through one of the many mechanisms in health care reform.  Currently, these uninsured citizens are forced to admit themselves to the emergency rooms of safety-net hospitals like Denver Health to receive basic, primary care.  Not only does this create a backlog of people seeking emergency care, but it also represents an enormous drain on the American economy – Denver Health is on track to spend more than $350 million this year to treat the uninsured – at a time when the country can ill-afford it. 

“I want to commend the Denver Health System for providing the high-quality, accessible care to their community that all Americans deserve,” stated Majority Leader Hoyer. “For too long, America has struggled with a broken health care system. As a result of action taken by Congress, the new health reform law is putting American families and small businesses – not insurance companies – in control of their own health care. In the coming years, we’ll see health reform take a significant bite out of our deficit, and we’ll see coverage extended to tens of millions of uninsured Americans—not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it means lower costs and more control for Americans over their health care.”

Under the new reforms, the newly insured will likely lean heavily on Community Health Centers for their health-care needs.  Community Health Centers will receive increased funding under the Affordable Care Act, and expect to double their capacity within the next five years.  Thanks to this funding, these centers will be able to meet the increased demand for primary care services and will continue to provide exemplary primary care for low-income Americans.  

“We at Denver Health are proud to already have a first-rate integrated system in place, bringing quality care through both our hospital here and our community health center network,” said Dr.  Patricia A. Gabow, M.D., CEO, Denver Health.  “But the health reform just passed into law, is going to address the challenges we face in that system, significantly –helping us to bring better care to all our patients, keeping our costs under control, and making our first-rate system even better.  For example, once uninsured families receive coverage, they will be able to see actual primary care physicians for their ongoing well-being and their periodic illnesses like colds and sore throats.  This will help the entire Denver Health system care for all our patients, by ensuring they always receive the right care, at the right place, at the right cost.”

“Thanks to safety-net hospitals like Denver Health, Colorado residents already receive outstanding care,” added DeGette, “but thanks to the health care reform bill, the manner in which they receive that care will become exponentially more efficient.  ER doctors will be free to do what they do best: treat emergencies, while our extraordinary Community Health Centers will help prevent sickness, provide primary care, and keep Americans healthy enough sustain their livelihoods and provide for their families.”