Sec. 3. Findings
533 words·~2 min read·
/bill/116/hr/6637/ih/section-3A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Congress finds as follows: The population of racial and ethnic minorities is expected to increase over the next few decades, yet racial and ethnic minorities have the poorest health status and face substantial cultural, social, and economic barriers to obtaining quality health care. Health disparities are a function of not only access to health care, but also the social determinants of health—including the environment, the physical structure of communities, nutrition and food options, educational attainment, employment, race, ethnicity, sex, geography, language preference, immigrant or citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or disability status—that directly and indirectly affect the health, health care, and wellness of individuals and communities.
Over the next few decades, the United States will face a shortage of health care providers and allied health workers. All efforts to reduce health disparities and barriers to quality health services require better and more consistent data, and better and more consistent collection of and access to data. A full range of culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and public health services must be available and accessible in every community. Racial and ethnic minorities and underserved populations must be included early and equitably in health reform innovations.
Efforts to improve minority health have been limited by inadequate resources in funding, staffing, stewardship, and accountability. Targeted investments that are focused on disparities elimination must be made in providing care and services that are community-based, including prevention and policies addressing social determinants of health. In 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services developed the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity, which are 2 strategic plans that represent the first coordinated roadmap in the United States to reducing health disparities.
These comprehensive plans, along with the National Prevention Strategy issued by the National Prevention Council of the Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2030, and the National Quality Strategy of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, as well as critical resources such as the 2012 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports, will work to increase the number of people in the United States who are healthy at every stage of life. The Secretary of Health and Human Services has also reviewed and advanced updated clinical guidelines and developed other strategic planning documents to combat health disparities with a high impact on minority populations and to provide high-quality family planning services.
Such guidelines and documents include the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the Action Plan for the Prevention, Care, and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis, and recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office of Population Affairs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( Public Law 111–148 ), as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act ( Public Law 111–152 ), represents the biggest advancement for minority health in the 40 years immediately preceding the enactment of this Act.
The Health Information Technology for Educational and Clinical Health Act of 2009, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( Public Law 111–5 ), provides that the nationwide health information exchange infrastructure be developed and used to reduce health disparities, among other purposes.
Connections3 off-index
3 references not yet in our index
- Pub. L. 111-148
- Pub. L. 111-152
- Pub. L. 111-5
Citation graph
cites case law
Sec. 3
Findings
Pub. L.Pub. L. 111-148
Pub. L.Pub. L. 111-152
Pub. L.Pub. L. 111-5
Cites 3Cited by 0 across 0 sources