[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 699 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 699

Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the goals and ideals 
    of National Minority Health Month in April 2016, which includes 
    bringing attention to the health disparities faced by minority 
  populations of the United States such as American Indians, Alaskan 
  Natives, Asian Americans, African-Americans, Latino Americans, and 
              Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2016

Mr. Al Green of Texas (for himself, Ms. Lee, Mr. Cardenas, Ms. Judy Chu 
 of California, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Ms. Kelly of 
  Illinois, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, and Ms. 
   Clarke of New York) submitted the following resolution; which was 
      referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the goals and ideals 
    of National Minority Health Month in April 2016, which includes 
    bringing attention to the health disparities faced by minority 
  populations of the United States such as American Indians, Alaskan 
  Natives, Asian Americans, African-Americans, Latino Americans, and 
              Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders.

Whereas the origin of the National Minority Health Month is National Negro 
        Health Week formed in 1915 by Dr. Booker T. Washington;
Whereas the theme for National Minority Health Month in 2016 is ``Accelerating 
        Health Equity for the Nation'';
Whereas through the ``National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health 
        Equity'' and the ``HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health 
        Disparities'', the Department of Health and Human Services has set goals 
        and strategies to advance the safety, health, and well-being of people 
        of the United States;
Whereas a study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, entitled 
        ``The Economic Burden of Health Inequalities in the United States'' 
        concludes that between 2003 and 2006, the combined cost of ``health 
        inequalities and premature death in the United States'' was 
        $1,240,000,000,000;
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has identified 6 main 
        categories in which racial and ethnic minorities experience the most 
        disparate access to health care and health outcomes, including infant 
        mortality, cancer screening and management, cardiovascular disease, 
        diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and immunizations;
Whereas African-American women are twice as likely to die of cervical cancer 
        than non-Hispanic White women;
Whereas African-American women in 2012 were 10-percent less likely to have been 
        diagnosed with breast cancer, yet, were almost 42-percent more likely to 
        die from breast cancer compared to non-Hispanic White women;
Whereas African-American women are twice as likely to lose their lives to 
        cervical cancer as non-Hispanic White women;
Whereas African-Americans are 50-percent more likely to die from a stroke than 
        non-Hispanic Whites;
Whereas in 2013, Hispanics were 1.4 times more likely than non-Hispanic Whites 
        to die of diabetes;
Whereas Latino men are twice as likely to have either HIV infections or AIDS as 
        compared to non-Hispanic White men;
Whereas Latina women are 3 times more likely to have AIDS as compared to non-
        Hispanic White women;
Whereas in 2014, although African-Americans represented only 13 percent of the 
        United States population, they accounted for 43 percent of HIV 
        infections in that year;
Whereas in 2010, African-American youth accounted for an estimated 57 percent of 
        all new HIV infections among youth in the United States, followed by 20 
        percent of Latino youth;
Whereas Asian American women are 18.2-percent more likely to be diagnosed with 
        HIV than non-Hispanic White women;
Whereas Native Hawaiians living in Hawaii are 5.7 times more likely to die of 
        diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites living in Hawaii;
Whereas in 2012, Asian Americans were 1.6 times more likely than non-Hispanic 
        Whites to contract Hepatitis A;
Whereas among all ethnic groups in 2012, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
        had the highest incidence of Hepatitis A;
Whereas Asian American women are 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanic Whites 
        to die from viral hepatitis;
Whereas Asian Americans are 5.5 times more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to 
        develop chronic Hepatitis B;
Whereas in 2013, 80 percent of children born infected with HIV belonged to 
        minority groups;
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has identified heart 
        disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes as some of the leading causes of 
        death among American Indians and Alaskan Natives;
Whereas American Indians and Alaskan Natives die from diabetes, alcoholism, 
        unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide at higher rates than other 
        people in the United States;
Whereas American Indians and Alaskan Natives have a life expectancy that is 4.4 
        years shorter than the life expectancy of the overall population of the 
        United States;
Whereas African-American babies are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanic White 
        or Latino babies to be born at low birth weight;
Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Native babies are twice as likely as non-
        Hispanic White babies to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS);
Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Natives have 1.5 times the infant mortality 
        rate as non-Hispanic Whites;
Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Native babies are 50-percent more likely to 
        die before their first birthday than babies of non-Hispanic Whites;
Whereas marked differences in the social determinants of health, described by 
        the World Health Organization as ``the high burden of illness 
        responsible for appalling premature loss of life [that] arises in large 
        part because of the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, 
        work, and age'' lead to poor health outcomes and declines in longevity;
Whereas the ACA provides specific protections and rights for American Indians 
        and Alaskan Natives, 23 percent of whom lack health insurance;
Whereas despite the substantial improvements in health insurance coverage among 
        women overall, women of color are more likely to be uninsured;
Whereas in 2013, 15.9 percent of African-Americans were uninsured, as compared 
        to 9.8 percent of non-Hispanic Whites;
Whereas African-American women are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured, 
        at a rate of 19 percent;
Whereas one-quarter of Latinas live in poverty and compose the greatest number 
        of uninsured among women in any other racial group at a rate of 31 
        percent; and
Whereas community-based health care initiatives, such as prevention-focused 
        programs, present a unique opportunity to use innovative approaches to 
        improve health for practices across the United States and sharply reduce 
        disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the goals and 
ideals of National Minority Health Month, which includes bringing 
attention to the severe health disparities faced by minority 
populations in the United States, such as American Indians, Alaskan 
Natives, Asian Americans, African-Americans, Latino Americans, and 
Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders.
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