Silenced No More: Minorities Groups Speak Out on Health Care Reform

Just when you thought that capitol hill had walked away from the issues regarding minority Americans and Health care reform, civil rights groups such as NAACP the National Council of La Raza, and the Leadership Council of Civil Rights, have stepped to the podium to speak on behalf of the millions of minorities who have been forgotten. Their message: to demand a voice in the decision making over America's health care system.

In the article entitled "Minority Groups Speak Out on Health Care Reform" by Kelly Brewington of the Baltimore Sun, Brewington attempts to capture the fervor that lies within these groups due to the lack of attention being paid to the minorities that this reform will affect the most. The article provides some insightful facts regarding minorities and health care. These include the disparities in health care access, like the fact that "Blacks and Latinos are more likely than whites to go without health care because they can't afford it" (Brewington, 2009). Disparities regarding access and the quality of health care for minority groups has been a huge problem in the United States. One way to shorten the gap in disparities, according to minority civil rights groups, would be for Congress to include some type of public insurance option.

Much of the news today seems to report that the option for a public option has been swept under the rug, forcing groups like La Raza and the NAACP to join forces and speak out against Capitol Hill and urge them to have some sort of option that will provide relief and shorten disparities within minority communities. The NAACP, La Raza, and the Leadership Council on Civil Rights have taken their campaign to the airwaves, creating various advertisements and commercials to reveal that health care is morally imperative (and so is the public option). They have also held town hall meetings regarding myths about health care proposals in congress and provided an open forum for community members "to ask questions of congressional staffers and experts of reform" (Brewington, 2009).

It is extremely commendable to see that minority advocacy groups such as the NAACP and La Raza have chosen to speak on behalf of the millions of minorities who have unfortunately been silenced in a reform that concerns them and their health the most. With their many health disparities that exist within minority communities today, do you think that Congress should be forced to provide some sort of public option due to the lack of affordability for some minorities?

Also, with their being a lack of minorities in the Senate, do you think that Congress should be forced to consult minority groups and leaders while creating this new health care bill? Why or why not?

Full Link to Article: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/health/2009/10/minorities_and_health_care_ref.html

Health Care Reform Commercial Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSkvj-yCbKI&feature=player_embedded#