Health Care Issues Affecting Minority Communities in America
Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." Unfortunately, injustice in health care is widespread and growing in American society today.
THE UNINSURED
Over 46 million Americans don't have health insurance.
That is a 15 percent increase in the number of uninsured since the President took office.
Twelve percent of white Americans, 19 percent of Asian Americans, 20 percent of African Americans, 27 percent of Native Americans and 35 percent of Hispanic Americans have no health insurance.
Nationwide, 9 percent of children under the age of 18 and 19 percent of adults ages 18 to 64 are uninsured.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
In Los Angeles County, 8 percent of children under the age of 18 and 22 percent of adults ages 18 to 64 are uninsured.
In the Southern Service Planning Area of Los Angeles County [SPA6], where my district is located, lack of access to health insurance is especially high: 11 percent of children under the age of 18 and 32 percent of adults ages 18 to 64 are uninsured.
In the same area, an alarming 44 percent of adults reported difficulty accessing medical care, and 21 percent of children have difficulty accessing medical care.
Furthermore, in the Southern Area of Los Angeles County, 35 percent of adults and 19 percent of children did not obtain dental care in the past year, because they could not afford it.
We cannot continue to ignore these alarming statistics.
INFANT MORTALITY
Infant mortality rates are considered to be one of the most important indicators of the health and well-being of a population. In 2003, the last year for which nationwide data is available, the infant death rate was 6.9 deaths for every one thousand live births.
Infant death rates among African Americans are considerably higher. Among whites, there were 5.7 infant deaths per thousand live births in 2003; while among blacks, there were 14.0 infant deaths per thousand live births.
In Los Angeles County, there are 5.0 infant deaths per thousand live births. Among African Americans, there are 11.7 infant deaths per thousand live births.
According to an article in Sunday's New York Times, infant deaths in the South are growing.
In Mississippi, the infant death rate had fallen to 9.7 in 2004 but then jumped sharply to 11.4 in 2005. In concrete human terms, a total of 481 babies died in Mississippi in 2005. That's 65 more babies than died the previous year.
Among African Americans in Mississippi, infant deaths rose from 14.2 per thousand in 2004 to an astonishing 17 per thousand in 2005.
Infant death rates also increased in 2005 in Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Clearly, injustice in health care is taking its toll.
If we truly believe that all men and women are created equal, we cannot allow these disparities to continue.
HIV/AIDS
Racial and ethnic minorities have disproportionately high rates of HIV and AIDS in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, racial and ethnic minorities represent 71 percent of new AIDS cases and 64 percent of Americans living with AIDS.
African Americans account for half of new AIDS cases, although only 12 percent of the population is black.
Hispanics account for 19 percent of new AIDS cases, although only 14 percent of the population is Hispanic.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders account for 1 percent of new AIDS cases, and American Indians and Alaska Natives account for up to 1 percent.
Racial minorities now represent a majority of new AIDS cases, a majority of Americans living with AIDS, and a majority of deaths among persons with AIDS.
It was because of the severe impact of HIV and AIDS on minorities that I developed the Minority AIDS Initiative back in 1998. The Minority AIDS Initiative provides grants to community-based organizations and other health care providers for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs serving African American, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American communities.
Unfortunately, the Republicans in Congress cut the funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative from its maximum level of $411 million in fiscal year 2003 to under $400 million today. Meanwhile, the need for the initiative has continued to grow as the disease has continued to spread.
This year, I am calling for an appropriation of $610 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative in fiscal year 2008. So far, a total of 62 Members of Congress have agreed to sign a letter in support of this level of funding. I am hoping to convince additional Members to support the expansion of the initiative before this week is over.
DIABETES
Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and it has a particularly severe impact on minorities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 9.5 percent of Hispanic Americans, 12.8 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives, and 13.3 percent of African Americans over the age of 20 have diabetes. Many Asian Americans are also at high risk.
Diabetes can lead to serious and sometimes deadly complications, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage.
Too often, some of these complications result in lower-limb amputations.
Minorities with diabetes often lack access to proper health care and are more likely to suffer from complications.
Because of these disparities, I introduced H.R. 1031, the Minority Diabetes Initiative Act.
This bill would establish an initiative to provide grants to physicians, community-based organizations, and other health care providers for diabetes prevention, care, and treatment programs in minority communities.
The Minority Diabetes Initiative is based on the successful model of the Minority AIDS Initiative.
This bill would help to reduce diabetes disparities and improve the ability of minorities with diabetes to live healthy and productive lives.
The bill has 40 cosponsors, representing both political parties.
CANCER
Health disparities also affect minorities who suffer from cancer.
Blacks have a cancer death rate that is about 35 percent higher than whites.
The mortality rates for blacks with breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer are much higher than those for any other racial group.
Black and Hispanic women are less likely to receive breast cancer screening with mammograms than white women.
Black and Hispanic men are more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced forms of prostate cancer than white men.
The incidence of prostate cancer is approximately 60 percent higher among African-American men than white men, and the death rate from prostate cancer is 2.4 times higher in African-American men than white men. This is the largest racial disparity for any type of cancer.
Earlier this year, I introduced H.R. 1030, the Cancer Testing, Education, Screening and Treatment (Cancer TEST) Act. This bill would provide grants for cancer screening, counseling, treatment and prevention programs for minorities and underserved populations.
The Cancer TEST Act would authorize grants for the development, expansion and operation of programs that provide public education on cancer prevention, cancer screenings, patient counseling services and treatment for cancer.
Grants would be made available to community health centers and non-profit organizations that serve minority and underserved populations.
The Cancer TEST Act would emphasize early detection and provide comprehensive treatment services for cancer in its earliest stages, when treatment is most likely to save lives.
The bill has 29 cosponsors.
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