Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) isn’t letting his own health setbacks get in the way of his lifelong mission of making our healthcare system accessible and fair for all.  Just last week, it was reported that the senator had returned to Washington, DC with the goal of presenting a “bipartisan, universal healthcare package” to a President Obama after he takes office in January.

Yesterday, the Washington Post published an opinion piece by Kennedy, celebrating the victory for mental health parity.  According to the senator, success in this decade-long fight is a “good omen for broad reform of our overall health-care system,” as “it's no longer just patients demanding change,” but “businesses, doctors and even many insurance companies” as well.

Senator Kennedy goes on to say this:

“President-elect Barack Obama has issued a clarion call for action on health care. His practical and thoughtful proposals draw from our Massachusetts experience and add important measures to improve quality and reduce costs. His plan includes crucial investments in modernizing the use of information technology in health care. He calls for a new emphasis on prevention and wellness, because the best way to treat a disease is to prevent it from striking.”

“Opponents (will) argue that the cost would be too high and that any such reform must be deferred because of the economic crisis. I reject that argument. It is painfully obvious that our health-care system costs Americans too much, costs employers too much, denies too much needed care and leaves out too many Americans. The rising cost of health care is clearly contributing to the troubled economy and needlessly strains family pocketbooks. Even worse, these costs are expected to climb higher, more than doubling in the next 10 years. We can no longer afford not to act.”

“The cost will be substantial, but the need for reform is too great to be deflected or delayed. Our recent successes in passing mental health parity for the nation and achieving broad health reform in Massachusetts suggest that most Americans will agree.”

To read the full opinion piece, click here.

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