Access to Health Care:

Families USA has released How Health Reform Helps Communities of Color, a series of state-based fact sheets that discuss how provisions in the Affordable Care Act--both those for the general public and those specifically designed to eliminate health disparities--help communities of color in each state. (September-October 2010)
Families USA has published How Health Reform Helps . . . which is a series of fact sheets that highlight how the new health reform law will help America's communities of color by expanding coverage, increasing funding for community health centers, and providing grants for workforce diversity. (September 2010) African Americans l American Indians and Native Alaskans l Asian Americans l Latinos l Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders
On August 23, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color conducted a 90-minute webinar to release a new report, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: Advancing Health Equity for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations. The report provides a comprehensive look at how health reform addresses health inequities, identifying areas where the law may reduce health inequities, as well as areas where more work is needed. (August 2010)
Families USA has published Moving toward Health Equity: Health Reform Creates a Foundation for Eliminating Disparities, which summarizes provisions that will expand access to care through Medicaid and community health centers, and that address health disparities by promoting language access, increasing workforce diversity, and reauthorizing the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. (May 2010)
Families USA has published Health Reform: Help for American Indians and Alaska Natives, which discusses changes made by the new health reform law, including the overdue reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, and explains how these changes will benefit these two groups. (May 2010)
The Asian and Pacific Islander Health Forum hosted a webinar, "How Will Health Care Reform Impact Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities?" The webinar provided an overview of how health reform will benefit Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities and provided advocates next steps for implementation. To watch the webinar or to download a copy of the slides, click here. (April 22, 2010)
Families USA has published Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Key Health Equity Provisions, which discusses how health reform will improve language access and cultural competence, support community health centers, strengthen the federal Office of Minority Health, increase workforce diversity, and reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. (March 2010)
During a recent public comment period, the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum provided suggestions on how the Office of Minority Health could strengthen the Draft National Plan for Action. The National Plan for Action describes the status of health disparities in our country and proposes 20 strategies for their elimination. To read the APIAHF's comments, click here.
Families USA's Improving Language Access: CHIPRA Provides Increased Funding for Language Services discusses the increased funding for language assistance services (interpretation and translation) and how states cover these services for Medicaid and CHIP enrollees who are limited English proficient, or LEP. (February 2010)
The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum recently published two fact sheets, Health Care Reform: Likely Impact on the U.S. Territories and the Freely Associated States and Priorities in Health Care Reform for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities. The fact sheets discuss health reform's potential to address disparities in health coverage by providing access to affordable, high-quality health insurance. (January/February 2010)
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute, in partnership with the Drexel University School of Public Health Center for Health Equality and Health Management Associates, has examined the major health reform bills in the 111th Congress to assess how they address racial and ethnic health and health care inequities. Click here for the latest analysis. (October 2009)
Families USA's Health Coverage in Communities of Color: Talking about the New Census Numbers takes a closer look at the latest data and finds that communities of color continue to bear the brunt of the uninsured crisis. This fact sheet looks at who is uninsured, poverty levels of different racial and ethnic groups, and why public programs are vital to communities of color. (September 2009)
Dr. Brian Smedley appeared on the August 18 edition of NPR's "Tell Me More" program to discuss the inclusion of a public option in health reform and whether market-based solutions address problems in the health care system. Click here to listen to the interview. (August 2009)
Dr. Willarda Edwards, the president-elect of the National Medical Association, is part of a distinguished panel of experts that is offering their "policy prescriptions" for America's health care system in a new "Washington Post" column. Health Care Rx is an ongoing, online dialogue between experts on how to improve health in our nation. To read Dr. Edwards' commentary, click here. (August 2009)
Families USA's The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA): Addressing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities examines four key provisions in the new law: investing in outreach, increasing access for legal immigrant children and pregnant women, increasing funding for interpretation and translation services, and establishing new quality of care measures. It also includes action steps for advocates. (June 2009)
On June 23, 2009, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held its first day of legislative hearings on the health reform discussion draft by the chairs of the committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor. To view the hearing or read Dr. Smedley's testimony, click here.
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute joined leaders of the Congressional Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander Caucuses at the U.S. Capitol to announce legislation to address health disparities, the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2009. Rep. Barbara Lee, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, cited comments from Dr. Brian Smedley on the importance of having comprehensive strategies to achieve equity in health care as part of health reform. Click here to view a webcast of the event, and click here to view the press release. (June 2009)
During Getting to Universal Coverage and Access: A Congressional Briefing, co-sponsored by Families USA and the Congressional Tri-Caucus, key experts explored the importance of achieving universal coverage and access as a critical step toward health equity. See the presentations by panelists and background materials here. (May 2009)
Families USA's Health Care Reform: Critical to Closing the Gap for Communities of Color presents a more in-depth look at data on the uninsured, which reveal alarming racial and ethnic disparities in health coverage. These data supplement data from the organization's national report on the uninsured, Americans at Risk: One in Three Uninsured. (March 2009)
In a column published in the "Seattle Medium," Dr. Brian Smedley discusses the challenges facing the Obama Administration as it looks to tackle health care reform and devise the solutions that are needed to address the fundamental problems that lead to unequal health opportunities. To read Dr. Smedley's column, click here. (February 2009)
Families USA’s Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008: Addressing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities discusses how the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) addresses health disparities within the Medicare population. MIPPA provisions to address these issues include: improved data collection for measuring and evaluating health disparities, outreach to the previously uninsured, and compliance with cultural competency standards. (November 2008)
Families USA's An Unequal Burden: The True Cost of High-Deductible Health Plans for Communities of Color discusses the full costs associated with high-deductible health plans and why these expenses are disproportionately unaffordable for racial and ethnic minorities. It also examines several myths about health savings accounts (HSAs), which are often coupled with such health plans. (September 2008)
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute published the article Why Children Need SCHIP, which examines the many benefits of the state Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This article examines the many benefits of the state Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). (September 2007)
Families USA's Confronting Disparities while Reforming Health Care: A Look at Massachusetts examines how state advocates were able to build on expansion efforts and address the host of issues that affect disparities in health and health care. This case study includes an extensive discussion of lessons that can be learned from the Massachusetts experience. (June 2007)
Families USA's SCHIP and Children's Health Coverage: Leveling the Playing Field for Minority Children examines the important role that SCHIP plays in reducing disparities in access to care, as well as how the SCHIP reauthorization process can be used to further this effort. (December 2006)
Families USA's New Medicaid Regulations Discriminate against U.S.-Born Children of Immigrants focuses on a specific provision of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), which has established regulations for citizenship documentation requirements for Medicaid. This provision creates an arbitrary and harmful distinction between children who are born in the U.S. to immigrants versus those born to citizens. (August 2006)
Families USA's Citizenship Update: Administration Creates Additional Barriers to Medicaid Enrollment addresses several important questions regarding the citizenship documentation requirement for Medicaid under the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), including what advocates can do to help mitigate the potential harm caused by the requirement. (June 2006)
Families USA's Medicaid and Minority Health: Why Cutting Medicaid Will Exacerbate Health Disparities analyzes the relationship between Medicaid and minority health, explores the causes of racial and ethnic health disparities, and examines how recent proposals to cut Medicaid will worsen these disparities. (February 2005)

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