Link to Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

I am sorry to say that I am having difficulty posting either or both of two items, which however are available on the Website of the Joint Center. The two items are the press release describing the new report from the Center, entitled "PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT OF 2010: ADVANCING HEALTH EQUITY FOR RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POPULATIONS". I shall keep trying to get the report from my computer onto our Health Disparities Blog. However, both are available on the Joint Center's website at www.jointcenter.org/hpi
The team of analysts who wrote this very important report include Dr. Dennis Andrulis, Nadia Siddiqui, Jonathon Purtle,and Dr. Lisa Duchon describe the new law as having "the potential to seed, promote and guide diversity initiatives in this country for decades to come". Dr. Andrulis notes the enormous potential for ultimately creating the necessary environment for our multi-cultural society to on an equal basis have access to necessary and basic health care. Getting thgere will require a series of steps, some budgetary in the future, some from the legislative branch of our government and others via Executive branch actions. Thus it is a wonderful report to have as the closing offering of this survey course on health disparities policy. The over-riding recommendation that stikes me regarding the question we posed at the beginning about whether or not we should not strongly recommend that the MLKjr Center for Health Equity continue with its plans for development of the first annual Health Equity Conference to be held in 2011. This report lays out many of the reasons and the parameters we shall use in following progress or regression in our national drive for the elimination of health disparities. So thank you to Ralph B. Everett (President and Ceo of the Joint Center) and Dr. Brian Smedley (Vice-President and Director of the Joint Center Health Policy Institute) for developing this important report. As Dr. Smedley said, "Going forward, policy-makers will have to make the reduction of health inequities a top priority in the implementation and administration of the new law, because doing so is essential to achieving its stated goals of expanding health insurance, improving the quality of health care, and reducing the costs of care."