Families USA
TypeFamilies USA Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)3 organization
Founded1981
HeadquartersWashington D.C.
Key people
Frederick Isasi (Executive Director)
Revenue3,172,965 United States dollar (2016) Edit this on Wikidata
Websitefamiliesusa.org Edit this on Wikidata

Families USA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer health advocacy and policy organization.

History

Technology entrepreneur Philippe Villers and his wife Kate[1] co-founded Families USA in 1981.[2] Families USA's advocacy in Washington, D.C., has influenced health care legislation and policy, including the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,[3] federal and state legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,[4] the Affordable Care Act (ACA),[5][6] defending against efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act,[7] and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).[8]

President Barack Obama credited Families USA with playing an instrumental role in promoting the enactment of the ACA and for the organization’s work in helping to implement and protect the historic health legislation.[9] On a printed copy of the ACA displayed in Families USA’s office, Obama wrote, “To Ron and Families USA – You made this happen!”[10]

In 2017, Frederick Isasi was appointed Executive Director of Families USA.[11][12] He took over the executive director role from Ron Pollack, the organization's founding executive director[13] and leader for almost 35 years.[14] Isasi has testified before Congress on issues including health care costs, payment and delivery reform,[15] and healthcare coverage.[16][17]

Families USA has been involved in state-by-state campaigns to address the Medicaid coverage gap among low-income Americans, supporting legislative strategies[18][19] and producing analysis documenting the benefits of extending health coverage.[20]

Families USA has organized several structured dialogues on key health care issues among diverse stakeholder organization leaders, including those representing insurers, hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, business, labor, and consumers. One such dialogue led to the creation of the Campaign for Children’s Health Care, which successfully pushed to extend CHIP.[21] Another set of dialogues sought and achieved common ground on extending health coverage to the uninsured.[22] A more recent dialogue developed proposals for promoting increased quality care at lower costs.[22]

On November 23, 2016, Vanity Fair reported that shortly after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, Families USA held a conference call with organizations from around the country to discuss efforts to prevent the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and formed the Protect Our Care coalition.[23][7]

Background

Families USA’s co-founder, Ronald Pollack, has created a number of other organizations. For 10 years he served as the founding executive director of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), an organization devoted to ending hunger in America. At FRAC, he successfully argued two cases on the same day in the U.S. Supreme Court that protected food aid for low-income people,[24] and he argued the federal court case that initiated the Supplemental Feeding Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).[24] Pollack is the founding and current board chair of Enroll America, an organization dedicated to enrolling people in health coverage who were previously uninsured.[25][26]

Pollack was Dean of the Antioch University School of Law.[27] He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the sole consumer representative on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, which developed the Patients’ Bill of Rights.[28]

The Hill named Pollack one of the nine top nonprofit lobbyists.[29][30][31] Modern Healthcare named him as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Health Care.[32] National Journal named Pollack one of the top 25 players in Congress, the Administration, and the lobbying community on Medicare prescription drug benefits.[33]

See also

References

  1. Borchers, Callum (16 April 2012). "Millionaires from Mass. join call to raise their tax rates". Boston.com. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  2. Fairhall, John (16 October 1993). "Gnat of a Reform Group Packs Big Bite". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  3. Frieden, Joyce (28 October 2021). "Biden Announces Deal With Congress on Infrastructure Bill". MedPage Today. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  4. Heath, Sara (3 November 2021). "Health Equity, PCP Strategies for Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout". PatientEngagementHIT. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  5. "Health care reform up in air as economy sinks - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  6. "Prognosis Unclear". HuffPost. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  7. 1 2 Alonso-Zaldivar, Ricardo (9 December 2016). "'Protect Our Care' group plans to push back against repeal of health law". PBS NewsHour. Associated Press. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  8. "Pelosi tries to stamp out abortion fight on Medicare fix". Politico. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  9. YouTube, archived from the original on 2018-12-23, retrieved 2016-01-07
  10. "Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet". Imgur. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  11. Castellucci, Maria (5 January 2017). "Families USA names Frederick Isasi executive director". Modern Healthcare.
  12. "Families USA names Frederick Isasi executive director". Modern Healthcare. 5 January 2017.
  13. "Families USA founder Pollack stepping down after 33 years". Modern Healthcare. 12 April 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  14. Evans, Garrett (6 November 2018). "Liberal health advocate looks to move beyond defense on ObamaCare". The Hill. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  15. Bluth, Rachel (2 April 2019). "Congressional Panel: Consumers Shouldn't Have To Solve Surprise Medical Bill Problem". NPR. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  16. Lotven, Amy (15 October 2021). "Senate Finance Plans Hearing On Federal Health Insurance Programs | InsideHealthPolicy.com". Inside Health Policy. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  17. Isasi, Frederick. "Health Insurance Coverage in America: Current and Future Role of Federal Programs" (PDF). U.S. Senate Finance Committee. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  18. "Manchin's not keen on more Medicaid expansion". The Washington Post. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  19. Diamond, Dan; Roubein, Rachel; Goldstein, Amy; Romm, Tony (26 October 2021). "Additional Medicare, Medicaid benefits may be whittled or cut as Democrats woo moderates". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  20. "Childless adults biggest winners under Medicaid expansion". FierceHealthPayer. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  21. "Campaign for Children's Health Care: About Us". www.childrenshealthcampaign.org. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  22. 1 2 "After Obamacare: The next Democratic health agenda". Vox. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  23. Tracy, Abigail (23 November 2016). "Why Obamacare Could Be Donald Trump's Undoing". Vanity Fair.
  24. 1 2 "Ron Pollack Bio from House of Representatives" (PDF).
  25. "Campaign aims to educate uninsured about ACA coverage options". Modern Healthcare. 5 March 2007. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  26. "Obamacare group slashes staff". Politico. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  27. "Prof. Wade Henderson and Former Antioch Dean Ron Pollack Opinion in The Washington Post - UDC David A. Clarke School of Law". www.law.udc.edu. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  28. Pear, Robert (1997-03-27). "Clinton Names Panel to Draft Health Consumer Bill of Rights". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  29. "The Big Fix: Health Care". WAMU 88.5. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  30. Ruyle, Megan (17 June 2010). "2010 Top Lobbyists". The Hill. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  31. "Top of the Hill". Modern Healthcare. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  32. "100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare (text list)". Modern Healthcare. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
  33. "Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA". Voices in Leadership. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
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