[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 21, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3680-S3681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MINORITY HEALTH

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I am deeply disappointed by the 
secrecy that has been employed by my colleagues in their reckless 
attempts to gut the Affordable Care Act. It is clear to me that, in the 
absence of hearings,

[[Page S3681]]

of public debate, and of any bill text at all, my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle will go to any length to suppress the 
undeniable successes associated with the Affordable Care Act.
  Unfortunately, that now includes blocking a noncontroversial 
resolution to promote and bring awareness to National Minority Health 
Month simply because the text contains facts about the Affordable Care 
Act. They have decided that concealing the reality of what the 
Affordable Care Act has brought to minority communities is more 
important than promoting minority health.
  I am proud to help lead this resolution with Senator Cardin and my 
colleagues here this afternoon because raising awareness and finding 
ways to promote minority health is critically important to the future 
of our Nation and should be a shared priority amongst my colleagues. As 
of last year, over half of nonelderly Americans who lacked insurance 
were people of color and minorities face increased barriers when trying 
to access the care that is available to them.
  In the past, our Republican colleagues worked with us on this 
resolution, which is why it has seen bipartisan and unanimous support. 
Now, however, like the secret healthcare bill they are drafting behind 
closed doors, they have turned an important and commonsense resolution 
into a political football, refusing to pass it unless it is stripped of 
any and all facts that don't fit their false narrative on the 
Affordable Care Act. The fact of the matter is that the Affordable Care 
Act has worked for minority communities. The Affordable Care Act has 
reduced the uninsured rate for minority communities by at least 35 
percent.
  It has led to a 7 percent drop in the uninsured rate amongst African 
Americans and has cut the uninsured rate for Latinos, Asian Americans, 
Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in half. It has provided new 
protections for American Indians and Native Alaskans while cutting the 
uninsured rate amongst those communities by nearly 10 percent. The 
facts show that minorities have seen some of the largest gains in 
health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act and, despite 
the work we still have before us, have more access to affordable 
coverage than ever before.
  Still, many in minority communities struggle to obtain coverage and 
receive quality care, despite chronic diseases disproportionately 
impacting many minority groups. That is why the Prevention and Public 
Health Fund, which was created to address and prevent chronic disease 
under the ACA, is so critical to minority health. That is also why 
these same communities will yet again feel the brunt of these callous 
and misguided cuts should the prevention fund be eliminated along with 
the ACA.
  African Americans are twice as likely to die from diabetes as White 
Americans. Thankfully, the prevention fund has invested $291 million in 
diabetes prevention. Latino women are 44 percent more likely to be 
diagnosed with cervical cancer than White women. Therefore, the 
prevention fund has invested $218 million in breast and cervical cancer 
prevention. Overall, the prevention fund has invested $227 million to 
the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Program.
  But eliminating the prevention fund wouldn't just negatively impact 
minority communities. In Connecticut, the Fund has invested over $27 
million in our communities since 2010, improving the lives and well-
being of people there every day.
  This strong investment has provided more Connecticut women with 
screenings for cancer. It has given our State health department the 
ability to better prevent diabetes, heart disease, and stroke and fight 
obesity through improved physical activity. It has allowed Connecticut 
to address school health more successfully, enriching our children's 
lives and inspiring a new generation of more healthy and happy 
citizens. It has provided the Connecticut Immunization Program with 
nearly half of its funding, with the program stating they ``don't know 
how we could continue to exist without this funding.''
  Should the Affordable Care Act be repealed and the Prevention Fund 
eliminated, with TrumpCare cruelly and inadequately thrust upon our 
Nation in its place, the consequences would be devastating, not only 
for minority communities, but for the country as a whole. Bottom line: 
the Affordable Care Act has improved access to quality and affordable 
healthcare for all Americans and particularly for those that need it 
the most.
  I sincerely hope that my Republican colleagues stop denying, 
ignoring, and concealing that the Affordable Care Act--and the minority 
communities that benefited from it--has helped our Nation's health. I 
stand ready to build upon the great strides made in improving minority 
health since the Affordable Care Act, and I hope my colleagues are 
ready to do the same. Thank you.

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