[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 167 (Tuesday, November 18, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H11362-H11363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RACIAL AND ETHNIC HEALTH DISPARITIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 7, 2003, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 2\1/2\ minutes.
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge a tremendous 
achievement in the efforts to address racial and ethnic health 
disparities in this country. With the dedication of the gentlewoman 
from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen), the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Honda), and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Pallone), and with the guiding leadership of our leadership, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), as well as our Senate 
leaders, Senator Daschle and Senator Kennedy, we have introduced a 
comprehensive bill to improve minority health.
  Currently in our country, minorities endure a disproportionate burden 
of illnesses. Unfortunately, our health care system is not meeting the 
needs of all of its people.
  Latinos, African Americans, Asians and Native Americans statistically 
outweigh nonminority whites in almost every disease, diabetes, 
cardiovascular disease, asthma, you name it.
  For instance, diabetes is a chronic illness estimated to affect 18.2 
million people in this year alone. Latinos are twice as likely to have 
diabetes than non-Latino whites and American Indians are more than 
twice as likely to be diagnosed with this debilitating disease.
  Mr. Speaker, these diabetes trends are not isolated. One in four 
obese Latino children have early signs of type II diabetes; and in 
California alone, 66 percent of Latinos are overweight, which is higher 
than the national average.
  Compound these health problems with the recently released census data 
showing that the rate of Latinos with health insurance was 32.4 percent 
in 2002. Here on this graph, it shows actually who the nonelderly 
noninsured are, including the ethnic and racial groups in the year 
2002. Hispanics represent 30 percent; non-Hispanics represent 47 
percent; Asian Pacific Islanders, 5 percent; and blacks represent 16 
percent. This is a picture of those people who are working-poor that 
are uninsured.
  The need for prevention is loud and clear, and we have to actively 
stop these rising trends in poor health care status. The Healthcare 
Equality and Accountability Act that we introduced

[[Page H11363]]

addresses these problem through inclusive and federally funded programs 
like Medicare and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, better 
known in California as Healthy Families.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill will expand health insurance options through 
Medicaid to cover parents and pregnant women, young people up to the 
age of 20, which would help address the issues here outlined in the 
chart. It also gives the States the option to cover every resident 
living in poverty under Medicaid.
  Another triumph in the bill is expansion of access to services by 
assisting health care professionals provide cultural and language 
services.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask for our colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to adopt this legislation that we have put forward through the 
Tri-Caucus to help end the disparities and treatment of those that are 
still in our country that do not have any adequate health care.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge a tremendous achievement in 
the efforts to address racial and ethnic health disparities in this 
country.
  With the dedication of my good friends Representative Donna 
Christensen, Representatives Mike Honda, Representatives Frank Pallone 
and the guiding leadership of Representatives Nancy Pelosi as well as 
our Senate leaders, especially Senators Daschle and Kennedy, we have 
introduced a comprehensive bill to improve minority health.
  Currently in our country, minorities endure a disproportionate burden 
of illness.
  The community I represent is multicultural--about 60 percent of the 
residents are Latino and 20 percent are Asian American, and 40 percent 
of my constituents were born outside of the United States.
  Unfortunately, our health care system is not meeting the needs of all 
people.
  Latinos, African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans 
statistically outweigh non-minority whites in almost every disease--
diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, you name it!
  For instance, diabetes is a chronic illness that is estimated to 
affect 18.2 million people in 2003.
  However, Latinos are twice as likely to have diabetes than non-Latino 
whites and American Indians are more than twice as likely to be 
diagnosed with this debilitating disease.
  But these diabetes trends are not isolated; over 1 in 4 obese Latino 
children have early signs of type II diabetes.
  In California, 66 percent of Latinos are overweight, which is higher 
than the national average, and the highest percentage of any minority 
group.
  Compound these health problems with the recently released Census data 
showing that the rate of Latinos without health insurance was 3.4 
percent 2002.
  Plus, over 87 percent of these uninsured are from working families.
  That means one in three hard-working, tax-paying individuals in this 
country lack access to what is supposed to be the ``best'' health care 
system in the world.
  The need for prevention is loud and clear--we have to actively stop 
these rising trends in poor health status, especially when our children 
are at risk.
  The Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act addresses these 
problems through inclusive and guaranteed expansions in federally 
funded health programs, like Medicaid and the State Children's Health 
Insurance Program.

  This bill will expand health insurance options through Medicaid to 
cover parents and pregnant women, and young people up to age 20.
  It also gives states the option to cover every resident living in 
poverty under Medicaid. And it guarantees funding for the Indian Health 
Service, bringing much-needed health care to this overlooked 
population.
  Another major triumph of this bill is the expansion of access to 
services by assisting health care professionals provide cultural and 
language services, and increasing federal reimbursement for these 
services.
  There are over 47 million people, or 18 percent of the US population, 
that speak a language other than English at home.
  Over one in three Latinos report difficulty in understanding a 
medical situation when it is not explained to them in their own 
language.
  In places like my district that have such a high proportion of 
limited English proficient individuals, language barriers can mean the 
difference between health and illness, and even life and death.
  Over the summer, the Minority Caucuses in the House convened a Tri-
Caucus Health Forum in Los Angeles to discuss racial and ethnic health 
disparities.
  It was expressed over and over again by community members, 
researchers and advocates that our public health infrastructure is 
failing our minority communities.
  Without assuring access to culturally and linguistically appropriate 
public health programs, without monitoring and collecting data on 
racial and ethnic minorities, and without strengthening our health 
professional workforce and institutions, our minority families will 
continue to endure health disparities.
  What we have on our hands is an American public health dilemma that 
requires a responsible public health approach.
  At a time when public health reforms, like the revision of Medicare, 
are sweeping through Congress, our minority communities are at the 
mercy of an unpredictable and untrustworthy public health system that 
ignores their health needs.
  Instead of creating a sound, guaranteed prescription drug benefit for 
our seniors, the current Medicare proposal does nothing to reduce the 
cost of health care.
  The only thing the Republican Medicare bill will do is overwhelmingly 
burden our low-income seniors and minority communities.
  We must enact responsible legislation that improves the health of 
minority communities, that recognizes specific minority health needs, 
and works to prevent disease rates from climbing in our minority 
communities.
  Let's use our Minority Health bill as a model of how we can actively 
eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in our communities 
nationwide.

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