Tri-Caucus Summit Addresses Minority Health Disparities

July 26, 2008

Sixth Annual Gathering of Congressional Black, Hispanic and APA Caucuses

A Hmong man had the wrong leg amputated in a surgery. Because no translators were provided, the man’s son was left with no choice but to try to interpret the consent form himself, and it was sadly misinterpreted.

A Lao woman suffering from tuberculosis was imprisoned for not taking her medications. Her English proficiency was limited, and the necessity of taking her medication was never explained to her. Thankfully, she filed a lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment and won.

These stories are not uncommon to Asian American and Pacific Islanders and other minority communities. In fact, as appalling as these seem, many of our families face this reality daily.

Last weekend, the Congressional Tri-Caucus, a coalition formed by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus, held its sixth annual Tri-Caucus Minority Health Summit in Houston, Texas, to address the healthcare disparities experienced by ethnic and racial minorities.

The AAPI community faces particular challenges as the needs of the most vulnerable among us are masked by the model minority myth. Despite the assumption that our community faces few barriers to healthcare, AAPIs experience significant healthcare disparities. For example, a considerable number of people in our community do not have health insurance; AAPI women have the lowest rate of cancer screening among different ethnic groups; and AAPIs make up over half of the cases of chronic hepatitis B.

Together with the Tri-Caucus, I have worked vigorously to address this inequity. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I supported appropriations for minority health disparities research. I also supported funding for outreach to communities of color to address the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Provisions in the Tri-Caucus bill, H.R. 3014, the Health Equity and Accountability Act, would mandate federal agencies to implement strategies to eliminate healthcare disparities. I also introduced a bill that will boost immunization rates against hepatitis B and increase funding for research on this preventable disease. One of the most affected groups is the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, where up to 10 percent of the population is infected with hepatitis B.

The testimony of the summit’s participants underscored the concerns long held by members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus. Experts emphasized that health disparities must be included in the First 100 Days agenda of the next administration. We must maintain and expand federal funding for programs aimed at eliminating the healthcare divide.

Healthcare professionals and practitioners who attended the summit also discussed the need to market outreach and services directly to communities of color. These programs must have more funding, especially when targeted at individuals with limited English proficiency. Culturally and linguistically competent services are an integral factor in successfully eliminating healthcare disparities. The AAPI population is comprised of 49 different ethnicities who speak over 100 languages and 39% limited English proficiency.

During the summit, experts stressed the importance of looking at local and regional strategies to inform policies at the federal level. Joint federal, state and local strategies are critical to developing effective and efficient ways of providing adequate services for an increasingly diverse population.

Finally, the Tri-Caucus will continue to make ensuring adequate insurance coverage within our communities a top priority. Next year, we will continue fighting to reauthorize and expand State Children’s Health Insurance Plan to halt the rising numbers of children who are uninsured. We will work to ensure that those who qualify for Medicaid and Medicare are utilizing the programs. This will benefit the AAPI community greatly, as 21 percent of AAPIs are uninsured and many more underinsured.

Equal access to quality healthcare is a basic human right. Underserved communities must have access to affordable healthcare — we are only as healthy as the most vulnerable in our society. CAPAC, with the Tri-Caucus, will continue to be at the forefront of this fight until we close this divide.

Rep. Honda is Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and represents California’s 15th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Written by Mike Honda · Filed Under Columns, Voices from The Community

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