A Reason to Support Univ. Health Care Reform: 40% of Low Income Americans w/out Insurance
(Taylor Media Services) The federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report last week which concludes, “Minorities and low income Americans are more likely to be sick and less likely to get the care they need.” Those words came from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius who used the new report to urge Congress to act on President Obama’s national health care reform measures.
According to Sebelius, “These disparities have plagued our health system and our country for too long.” The report is entitled Health Disparities: A Case for Closing the Gap. Details are available online at www.HealthReform.gov . Among the lead findings were: 40 percent of low-income Americans do not have health insurance; African Americans are 15 percent more likely to be obese than whites; 48 percent of Blacks suffer from a chronic disease compared to 39 percent of the general population; and 15 percent of African Americans develop diabetes compared with 8 percent of whites.
Meanwhile, minority lawmakers warned the Democratic leadership last Tuesday not to cave into Republican demands to weaken Obama’s health care proposals. Black, Latino and Asian lawmakers issued a joint statement saying they would be hard-pressed to support a bill which did not include a new program guaranteeing health coverage for all Americans.
According to Sebelius, “These disparities have plagued our health system and our country for too long.” The report is entitled Health Disparities: A Case for Closing the Gap. Details are available online at www.HealthReform.gov . Among the lead findings were: 40 percent of low-income Americans do not have health insurance; African Americans are 15 percent more likely to be obese than whites; 48 percent of Blacks suffer from a chronic disease compared to 39 percent of the general population; and 15 percent of African Americans develop diabetes compared with 8 percent of whites.
Meanwhile, minority lawmakers warned the Democratic leadership last Tuesday not to cave into Republican demands to weaken Obama’s health care proposals. Black, Latino and Asian lawmakers issued a joint statement saying they would be hard-pressed to support a bill which did not include a new program guaranteeing health coverage for all Americans.
