Publish Date: July 31, 2026 Type: Testimony and Comments, Comment Letter Topics: Health access, Health care, Medicaid, CMS, Comment letter Ethnicity: Language: English State: APIAHF and its national AANHPI health partners submitted comments in opposition to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) requirements for community engagement as stated by the Interim Final Rule (IFR) on the Medicaid program’s community engagement requirement for certain individuals. APIAHF and its partners, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA), and the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians (NCAPIP) submitted comments urging CMS to revise or withdraw the IFR and accordingly take the following steps: Rescind the medical frailty documentation requirements; Restore self-attestation where appropriate; Permit states to rely on existing eligibility and administrative data; Extend implementation timelines; Strengthen language access and civil rights protections; and Preserve automatic exemptions for qualifying populations.

Publish Date: July 30, 2026 Type: Webinar Topics: Webinar, Work Requirements, Storytelling, Health Care Access, CMS, Medicaid Ethnicity: Language: English State: In July 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance on the federal work requirements needed to qualify for Medicaid beginning in January 2027, which will result in the disenrollment of millions of Americans from their healthcare. What could Medicaid work requirements mean for the communities we serve? APIAHF President & CEO Juliet K. Choi and community-based organization leaders convened for a timely conversation on the real-world impacts of these policy changes. Listen to firsthand perspectives on how new work requirements may create barriers to healthcare coverage, increase administrative burdens, and affect access to essential health services, while exploring strategies to advance equitable healthcare access for underserved communities.

Publish Date: March 11, 2026 Type: Fact Sheet, Infographic Topics: Measles, Vaccination Ethnicity: Language: English, Arabic, Hindi, Korean, Marshallese, Samoan Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, Tongan, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese State: The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) has released a fact sheet on Measles to help educate and spread awareness about this contagious and potentially severe viral disease. This resource is currently available in English, Hindi, Korean, Marshallese, Samoan, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR LENAYA KIMBALL PROGRAM COORDINATOR OUR BOARD OUR LEADERSHIP OUR STAFF ABOUT OUR STAFF — Lenaya a program coordinator for Capacity for Health (C4H), the national capacity building program of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. She currently coordinates and leads the onboarding process for the National Learning Community for HIV Leadership. She brings a unique lens to her team, with diverse background experiences in biotech, hospital administration, nonprofits and self-employment. Prior to coming to APIAHF, Lenaya has explored many avenues to marry her need for creative expression and her calling to heal. She has run both a food business and a doula practice. Trained in health supportive cooking, herbal medicine making and certified as a birth and postpartum doula; Lenaya believes in a holistic approach to wellness on the personal, community and environmental level. “Along my journey, I have come to realize that everything is connected, we cannot address the environment, the economy, public health, etc. without inclusivity. It is at the intersection in the full richness of life, that we gain perspective to address our collective needs.” -Lenaya Next Item Previous Item BACK TO ALL STAFF

JULY 25, 2024 PRESS RELEASE APIAHF APPLAUDS BICAMERAL CONGRESSIONAL INTRODUCTION OF THE HEALTH EQUITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2024 JULY 25, 2024 WASHINGTON —Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (HI), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), and Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-28), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, introduced the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2024 (HEAA). The bill focuses on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities and has been introduced by the Congressional Tri-Caucus, composed of CAPAC, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. This is the first time HEAA has had a bicameral introduction, and over 150 members of Congress have co-sponsored the bill over the past two decades. HEAA is a comprehensive and strategic legislative blueprint and one of the few bills that contains community input from over 300 organizations, including national health justice and civil rights organizations. APIAHF president & CEO, Juliet K. Choi issued the following statement: “As our nation's demographics change, so do our health needs. Underserved and underrepresented communities face substantial barriers to obtaining quality health care and equitable health outcomes. APIAHF is proud to lead the 118th Congress's reintroduction of HEAA, with AAPCHO, to tackle these health disparities head on. HEAA invests in culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and health services, creates a pipeline for an inclusive workforce, and deploys innovative strategies to reach communities regardless of region, immigration status, gender, ethnicity, age, or disability. Achieving health equity requires a multi-faceted approach, and HEAA provides a blueprint to do exactly that.” The full text of the bill is available here . A one-pager is available here . Learn more about HEAA here . # # # Achieving health equity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities through law, policy and practice. BACK TO PRESS RELEASES Next Item Previous Item BACK TO PRESS RELEASES

AUGUST 30, 2023 PRESS RELEASE APIAHF APPLAUDS CMS’ BOLD ACTION TO SAFEGUARD HEALTH CARE COVERAGE AUGUST 30, 2023 WASHINGTON —Today, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services sent a letter to all states and U.S. territories requiring them to determine if they have an eligibility systems issue that could cause entire households to be disenrolled from Medicaid or CHIP even if they are eligible for coverage. If a state has an eligibility systems issue, they must do the following, to avoid CMS enforcement to bring states into compliance: Pause procedural disenrollments for those individuals impacted, Reinstate coverage for all affected individuals and provide retroactive eligibility back to the date of termination, Implement one or more CMS-approved mitigation strategies until such time that the state has fixed all systems and processes to prevent continued inappropriate disenrollments, and Fix state systems and processes to ensure renewals are conducted appropriately and in accordance with federal Medicaid requirements. Juliet K. Choi, president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) released the following statement: “We applaud CMS for taking bold action to safeguard health care coverage for millions of families across our nation as we continue to face the devastating impacts of disenrollment from Medicaid Unwinding, which disproportionately affects communities of color, immigrants and individuals with limited English proficiency. “Health care is a fundamental right, and ensuring that children and families have reliable access to necessary services is paramount. It is unconscionable for states to disenroll thousands of families, including children, due to a state’s systems and operational issues. This action today by CMS is a positive and necessary step toward protecting coverage for low-income families, and we are optimistic that the Biden administration will continue to forge forth towards affordable, quality care for all families.” # # # The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) influences policy, mobilizes communities and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. BACK TO PRESS RELEASES Next Item Previous Item BACK TO PRESS RELEASES