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January 2017
In December, HHS announced that Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment numbers were outpacing the previous 2015-2016 Open Enrollment Period. This includes more than 2 million additional new consumers to the Marketplace and reflects how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made huge strides in reducing the number of uninsured minorities. Thanks to the ACA, about 3 million African American, 4 million Hispanic and 1 million Asian American and Pacific Islander adults who were uninsured now have health coverage. The uninsured rate has been reduced by more than half among Asian American/Pacific Islander and African American adults, and by more than 25 percent among Hispanic adults.
But there is still work to be done. With less than one month left to enroll, there are 1.3 million African Americans, 2.7 million Hispanics and 350,000 Asian American and Pacific Islanders without insurance who qualify for health insurance on the Marketplace. Help spread the word that affordable health coverage is still available!
The facts:
- Most current Marketplace consumers will be able to find a plan for $75 or less a month in premiums after tax credits.
- About 85 percent of current consumers and those who are eligible qualify for tax credits.
- Tax credits increase along with premiums, so the law will protect the large majority of consumers from rate changes.
Where to get help:
A new agreement between the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will enhance a behavioral risk factor surveillance survey (BRFSS) to provide an improved understanding of the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. As part of the CDC’s 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the CDC will conduct an oversampling in 11 states that have a higher proportion of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The oversampling of AI/AN communities will increase understanding of health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, access to care and use of preventive services in the AI/AN population. Because of small sample sizes among American Indians and Alaska Natives, this information has typically been omitted from reports citing national health statistics. Data from the BRFSS oversample of American Indians and Alaska Natives will help public health officials tailor health promotion activities in these communities to achieve health equity. The survey is expected to be launched in early 2017.
 During National Minority Health Month, beginning April 1, 2017, the HHS Office of Minority Health will join with our partners in raising awareness about efforts across health, education, justice, housing, transportation and employment sectors to address the factors known as the social determinants of health – environmental, social and economic conditions that impact health. The HHS Office of Minority Health will continue to bridge efforts across the nation to help eliminate health disparities, accelerate health equity and build a stronger, healthier nation.
Visit the OMH website to learn more about National Minority Health Month, and sign up for the National Minority Health Month topic on our email list to be notified when we post new tools and resources to support your #NMHM17 events and programs!
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The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to announce four new appointments and a new chair to the Advisory Committee on Minority Health. The Advisory Committee on Minority Health advises the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health on improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations, and on the development of goals and program activities of OMH.
The next two-day Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for:
March 23, 2017, 9 am to 5 pm
March 24, 2017, 9 am to 1 pm
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 05N76
Rockville, MD 20857
Federal Register Notice of this meeting will be available online.
The new Advisory Committee on Minority Health members are:
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Beverly Patchell, PhD, APRN, PMH, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
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Linda Bane Frizzell, PhD, Associate Editor, MedCrave Online Journal of Public Health; Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health; and Consultant, Great Lakes Tribal EpiCenter.
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Gregory Maddox, MD; Chief Medical Officer, Seattle Indian Health Board; Seattle, WA.
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Winston Wong, MD, MS, FAAFP; Medical Director, Community Benefit; Director, Disparities Improvement and Quality Initiatives; Kaiser Permanente; Oakland, CA.
New Committee Chair: Paul Juarez, PhD; Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Family and Community Medicine; Meharry Medical College; Nashville, TN.
 The National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA), an initiative led by the HHS Office of Minority Health, promotes cross-sector, multi-level and systems-oriented approaches for tackling health disparities. To support the integration of health equity in programs, policies and practices, the Federal Interagency Health Equity Team (FIHET) has created a regular speaker webinar series to highlight current practices and innovative strategies for this type of work across sectors and at different levels of government.
Upcoming sessions:
January 18 at 2 pm EST: The (SHEC) Cultural Competency Resource Guide Spotlight Webinar Series: Mental Health in Ethnically Diverse, LGBTQIA, and Youth Groups
Register
January 23 at 1 pm EST: New England RHEC’s Webinar on Rhode Island's Approach to Youth Workforce Development
Register
January 25 at 2 pm EST: Menominee Youth Empowerment Program: Addressing Disparities in At-Risk Tribal Youth
Register
Learn more about the FIHET webinar series.
Sign up to receive the quarterly NPA newsletter.
 Join Faye Williams, Manager of the Office of Minority Health Resource Center (OMHRC) Knowledge Center for an informative webinar on the largest minority health and health disparities resource in the U.S. Learn where to access quality minority health information and statistics, and how to search the OMHRC online catalog.
Webinar: OMHRC Knowledge Center: Your Source for Minority Health Information
When: January 10 at 12 pm EST
Details and registration
This webinar is sponsored by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region.
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