Equity and Accountability Act Addresses Health Disparities
Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., have provided a roadmap for eliminating racial and ethnic health inequities. The senators’ new legislation is called the Health Equity and Accountability Act, and they released it on June 24.
The bill lays out 10 provisions and additional investments Congress must make to enhance the health and well-being of systematically marginalized and underserved communities, address health disparities, and ensure access to high-quality and affordable health care for all.
The act includes actions like improving data collection for historically underrepresented populations, ensuring culturally and linguistically appropriate health care, improving health workforce diversity, and addressing the impact of minority diseases through pre-emptive screenings.
Improving health information technology will also be essential when it comes to accountability and evaluation to prevent health care services discrimination, and remediating factors that influence health inequities.
Companion legislation was introduced by Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., this year in April.
This legislation has been introduced by the Congressional Tri-Caucus since 2003, but has never passed into law.
Alexa can be reached at [email protected]
