When President Obama signed the landmark health bill in Washington, D.C. this morning, Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss was present at the invitation of the White House.  Supervisor Kniss has been a strong advocate of health-care reform at both the national and state level. She serves as Co-chair of the Health Care Reform Task Force for the National Association of Counties (NACo) and Chair of the Health and Human Services Policy Committee for CSAC. 

In speaking to the merits of this bill, Supervisor Kniss said, “Every day, at this community’s public hospital, we see first-hand the tremendous toll of being uninsured. When people don’t have insurance, they often wait longer to get health services they need.  They wait to get screened and diagnosed for diseases that may be life-threatening. They wait for treatment for serious conditions such as high blood pressure and cancer.” We all know the demands that are placed on our county hospitals.

 It’s satisfying to see that the White House values the important role that counties across America – and county officials such as Liz Kniss – play in the delivery of health care.  This is just another example of the growing influence of California counties in Washington, D.C.  We congratulate Supervisor Kniss for her hard work and commitment to our counties.