« June 2012 Issue

Affordable Care Act Offers Path to Health Equity

Half of the uninsured people in America are people of color, and too often people of color face barriers to receiving care. Such health disparities drive up costs for the entire health care system because lack of access to care exacerbates health problems and increases the incidence of chronic health conditions, which are more expensive to treat. While communities of color stand to gain substantially from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), many people do not understand how the law will benefit them and how they can help shape its impact on their community and health.  

For this reason, Community Catalyst has made advancing health equity a priority area of our work. And since change happens when the people most affected are involved, we have encouraged state advocacy groups funded through our Consumer Voices for Coverage and ACA Implementation Fund initiatives to engage communities of color in ACA implementation efforts. As a result, advocates in many states have partnered with community-based organizations to ensure that people of color learn about the many ways in which they will benefit from the law and are empowered to take action.

In Michigan, our partner Michigan Consumers for Health Care worked with Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan and college organizations to host college campus meetings on the ACA, women, and communities of color. These meetings brought community leaders, public health experts and women's health advocates together with young people, women of color and college students at the Wayne State University School of Law, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. During these meetings, the expert panel explained how the ACA will benefit communities and the state at large. Attendees then broke into groups to discuss how they could best share information about ACA benefits with their friends and families.

Culturally and linguistically competent state-based Health Insurance Exchanges - the marketplaces where people will shop for insurance plans - are vital to ensuring people of color can access insurance. In Minnesota, advocates combined community outreach with legislative action. Advocates worked with the state's Health Exchange Advisory Task Force, which will advise on the design and development of the Minnesota Exchange, to set up a meeting to discuss how the Minnesota Exchange can help address health disparities. TakeAction Minnesota engaged with many community members on the issue and connected with 25 people who attended the meeting. Two of their attendees offered testimony on addressing health disparities in the Exchanges.

Oregon has also worked extensively on promoting health equity in Exchanges. The Latino Health Coalition planned a panel discussion on Exchanges during their Latino Health Equity Meeting and secured a column in El Hispanic News, in which they will write about the Exchange and its impact on the Latino community. The Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon mobilized 55 members to attend the state's Exchange board meeting and Oregon Health Authority public forums on Medicaid transformation.

Community-based advocates in New York have worked to specifically tailor presentations and materials to the audience they are working to reach. In New York City, advocates start discussions with African American mothers about the high infant mortality rate in their community and then explain how an Exchange can help extend insurance and thus expand access to prenatal care. The advocates ensure that every presentation they give specifically addresses concerns of the community and how the ACA will help address these concerns.

Many other states are working to make health equity a policy and community outreach priority. These continued efforts are vital to ensuring the ACA fulfills its promise for communities of color and that we can continue to make progress on achieving health equity.