On Language Access, Holding HHS Accountable to People, Not Insurance Companies

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently creating the regulations that basically put the meat on the bones of this country’s health care reform law. It is the outcome of these rule-making decisions that will determine the success, or failure, of reform. NWFCO, with the Health Rights Organizing Project, has been weighingContinue reading “On Language Access, Holding HHS Accountable to People, Not Insurance Companies”

Health Rights Organizing Project Members Work with HHS to Ensure Language Access

On Tuesday, September 14, NWFCO organized a meeting in Washington, D.C. with the Department of Health of Human Services to discuss the importance of language access in health care. Members from NWFCO and several organizations from the Health Rights Organizing Project, including Make the Road New York, The Community Service Society of New York, TheContinue reading “Health Rights Organizing Project Members Work with HHS to Ensure Language Access”

Native Health Underfunded and Promises Unfulfilled: The Importance of Investing in the Indian Health Service

“If the Indian Health Service was fully funded, we would be able to implement some of the programs we can’t currently offer. And I believe there would be a direct correlation between increased funding and improved health status for Native people.” –Dr. Donna Polk-Primm, CEO, Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition

Prescriptions for Produce: A Step Towards Food Justice

According to this New York Times article ((Singer, Natasha, “Eat an Apple (Doctor’s Orders),” New York Times, August 12, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/business/13veggies.html?_r=1)), doctors at three health care centers in Massachusetts are handing out “prescriptions” (coupons) for patients to use at farmers’ markets. These coupons are part of an effort to promote healthy eating and combat childhoodContinue reading “Prescriptions for Produce: A Step Towards Food Justice”

House Takes First Step To Increase Indian Health Services Funding

The average cost of mainstream health insurance plans is approximately 40% greater than the Indian Health Service (IHS) funding level for American Indian and Alaska Native people. This funding gap limits health care services and contributes to the lingering disparities of death and disease among Indians. The first step needed to redress this shortfall wasContinue reading “House Takes First Step To Increase Indian Health Services Funding”

Is Health Care Reform Just For White People?

Northwest Federation of Community Organizations Campaigns for Racial Justice in Health Although the face of the health care debate was mostly a white one, community organizations and progressive groups across the country, including the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations and the Health Rights Organizing Project, prioritized health equity in their demands for comprehensive health careContinue reading “Is Health Care Reform Just For White People?”