SENATE TAKES ANOTHER STEP TOWARD HEALTH EQUITY FOR ALL

Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2012 Would Improve Access to Health Care for Immigrants and Communities of Color

WASHINGTON — Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI) took another step toward decreasing ethnic disparities in health care by introducing the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2012, legislation that would improve the health and well-being of immigrants and communities of color. If passed, the legislation would expand health coverage to more families, promote jobs in the growing health care sector, and increase investments in innovative health delivery methods and technologies to improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs. The legislation compliments a bill introduced in the House of Representatives in 2011. Below is a statement from Jenny Rejeske, policy analyst for the National Immigration Law Center:

“Lost in the current debate about the Affordable Care Act is the fact that millions of our fellow Americans are without access to quality affordable health care and the opportunity to live without fear and worry. Rather than attempting to dismantle helpful policies, policymakers should instead be working to make health care reform stronger through legislation such as the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2012 that will help improve the lives of more Americans. We look forward to working with the U.S. Senate to pass this critically important legislation that directly addresses, rather than ignores, the needs of Americans.”

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