Daniel Akaka: “I am proud to introduce the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act, along with my colleagues Senators Reid, Durbin…”

“I am proud to introduce the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act, along with my colleagues Senators Reid, Durbin, Bingaman, Corzine, Murray, Kennedy, Landrieu, Lautenberg, Inouye, Pryor, Mikulski, Obama, Dodd, Lieberman, and Clinton. I want to thank them, as well as my colleagues in the other body, for all of their contributions to this important legislation. This bill will improve access to and the quality of health care for indigenous people and racial and ethnic minorities who often lack access and suffer disproportionately from certain diseases. It is essential that we expand and improve the health care safety net so that everyone can access the health care services that they need. This legislation will expand health coverage and includes provisions that will increase access to culturally-appropriate and relevant services for our communities. In addition to improving treatments for the diseases that disproportionately effect indigenous people and racial and ethnic minorities, we need to also focus on preventing these diseases in the first place. This legislation will help combat heart disease, asthma, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that disproportionately affects Pacific Islanders, including Native Hawaiians. Among populations in Hawaii, Native Hawaiians had the highest age-adjusted mortality rates due to diabetes for the years 2000 to 2002.…”