The NAACP, National Urban League and The Black Leadership Forum commend Congress for passing a bill that will reform the current health care system. The bill will include a strong public option, and is expected to offer affordable and quality health care for all Americans. 

"Tonight, our congress people made a decision to stop letting so many of our neighbors die for lack of affordable health care coverage. We applaud them for including the public option. The public option means more choice, more competition, lower costs, more families covered, and few forced into bankruptcy," said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “ 

"This show of solidarity is indicative of the fact that health care reform is something that affects us all,” said Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. "We are pleased at the outcome and look forward to future opportunities to join forces to advocate on behalf of our communities.” 

“The urgent need for health care reform brought together over 50 civil rights organizations to relay our concerns, and together we were able to ensure that Congress indeed heard our voices,” said Executive Director and CEO of the Black Leadership Forum Gary L. Flowers. “This represents a victory not only for Black America, but all of America.” 

The NAACP, the National Urban League, and other national community based, civil rights, labor, religious, Pan-Hellenic, women and other organizations working under the coalition banner of the Black Leadership Forum, officially unveiled the Healthcare Reform War room earlier this week. The War Room, housed on K Street in Washington, DC, serves as a clearing house to provide a community based understanding of the options and initiatives being advocated during the historic healthcare reform debate taking place on Capitol Hill.