HHS Works Below Political Radar

Conspicuous by its absence in President Obama's reelection campaign is a loud defense of the controversial Affordable Care Act, which many Republicans want to repeal and is up for review by the Supreme Court. But the Health and Human Services Department has been anything but silent on promoting the impact the law is having on diverse participants in the huge health care industry.

On Thursday, officials from HHS' new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation gathered in Washington with some 1,000 medical professionals to showcase at least six new innovations authored by health care organizations. They include techniques for reversing the trend in diabetes, advances in treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, and tools for improved resistance to HIV/AIDS.

"The Affordable Care Act gives us tremendous new tools to innovate and improve our health care system," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "We'll discuss how we can work together to make innovative ideas a reality in communities across the country."

Added innovation center director Dr. Richard Gilfillan, "The fact that all of these disparate interests share the aim of better health care and are willing to work for it not only means that we're going to have the best ideas on the table, but also that we're going to have the expertise and the resources that will ultimately ensure better health at a lower cost will be within the reach of every American."

The Care Innovations Summit is being hosted jointly by HHS' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the San Diego-based nonprofit West Wireless Health Institute and the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs.