|
AAF Asks
You to Help End Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
Immigrants and communities of color continue to face inferior
access to health care, lower quality medical treatment, and
poorer health outcomes than their citizen and white
counterparts. These disparities especially hurt minority
children, seniors, persons with disabilities, and workers who
are uninsured and underinsured. It's time to ask every Member
of Congress to address these disparities and create greater
equity in the American health care system.
The only bill pending in Congress to comprehensively address
health disparities in the U.S. is H.R. 3014, the Health Equity
and Accountability Act. With many important provisions
addressing gaps in health care, this bill also addresses major
barriers faced by immigrants. H.R. 3014 includes the Immigrant
Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA), to provide states
with an option to cover lawfully residing immigrant children and
pregnant women with federal Medicaid and the State Children's
Health Insurance Program funds without any five-year waiting
period. The bill also includes provisions that will enhance
language access to health care, minority community health care
outreach, and health care workforce diversity. A summary of the
legislation can be read
here.
H.R. 3014, supported jointly by the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Asian
Pacific American Caucus (the "tri-caucus"), has over 100
cosponsors; see that list here. If
your representative is not already a sponsor, please contact
your Member of Congress and say you believe every Member needs
to endorse this legislative proposal to effectively improve
minority health in our country. If your Member is already a
co-sponsor, please thank him or her.
Last month, over 100 national organizations signed a letter
endorsing H.R. 3014 and sent it to House leadership. Yet the
bill still has not yet been considered for a hearing in
committees of jurisdiction.
|
