APIAHF

What we do: In 2010 we worked to shape and pass the biggest expansion in health care access and civil rights in a generation through the Affordable Care Act. Now we continue to defend the law in the halls of Congress, the Administration and in the courts.

 

The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of the most significant expansions in civil rights and health care since the creation of the Medicaid program in 1964. The ACA’s public and private coverage expansions have cut the uninsured rate in half for Asian Americans (from 15.1% to 7.5%) and nearly half for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (14.5% to 7.8%). Despite these historic gains, disparities within Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities remain due to varying degrees of poverty, immigration-based barriers, lack of cultural competency in the health care system, and language access barriers.

 

GETTING PEOPLE COVERED AND HELPING THEM STAY COVERED

APIAHF leverages a considerable network of national and community-based partners throughout the country to support continued enrollment efforts through culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies. We work with federal and state policymakers to ensure that policies and programs meet the needs of AA and NHPIs and other immigrant communities.

In 2012, APIAHF co-founded Action for Health Justice with the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Los Angeles, Asian Americans Advancing Justice — AAJC and 72 federally qualified health centers and community based organizations. Across three enrollment periods, Action for Health Justice outreached and educated nearly 1 million AAs and NHPIs in 56 different languages, helping to substantially lessen the coverage gap in these populations.

 

KEEPING MEDICAID’S PROMISE

Medicaid is a lifeline for 24 percent of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and 16 percent of Asian Americans under 65, providing coverage they otherwise would never be able to afford. Whether it is fighting attempts to dismantle the program or addressing threats to reduce coverage for covered individuals in the states, APIAHF ensures the voices and needs of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are heard.