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Pacific Islanders living in Spokane may finally be able to access health coverage
Juliet K. Choi, CEO of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, said in a statement this week that after Congress’ action, “COFA families will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief as they regain eligibility to and access Medicaid.”
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Congress also agreed to restore Medicaid coverage for the Marshallese and other Pacific Islanders after nearly 25 years, following a POLITICO investigation.
Read MoreDecades later, Congress restores Medicaid for Marshallese and other Pacific Islanders
Juliet Choi, director the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, said she was thrilled and stunned by the news, which comes at such a politically fraught and polarized time in American politics. She called it a “bright and hopeful” indication the nation can rally together to right wrongs during “this dark time,” she said, referring to the pandemic.
Read More‘A shining moment’: Congress agrees to restore Medicaid for Pacific Islanders
Juliet Choi, CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, hailed the agreement as “a shining moment where Congress’ commitment to do the right thing will now finally allow thousands of COFA families gain access to Medicaid again.”
Read MoreSouth Asian, Chinese New Yorkers among the hardest hit by Covid, study shows
By Vignesh Ramachandran | The research shows the importance of disaggregating data for Asian American patients — and the need to do more, advocates say.
“Disaggregated data is absolutely critical,” said Juliet Choi, CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, a health advocacy organization. “For the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander community, we represent over 50 different countries and we speak more than 100 different languages. So to really understand both the wellness — or the lack of wellness — experienced by our communities, we need that disaggregated data.”
Read MoreIrradiated, Cheated and Now Infected: America’s Marshall Islanders Confront a Covid-19 Disaster
By Dan Diamond | The United States used their homeland for nuclear test-bombing, then denied them Medicaid. Now, their way of life in the U.S. heartland has left them prime prey for the pandemic.
But after two decades of fighting—and losing—the effort to restore Medicaid access, those advocates like Juliet Choi, the CEO of the Asian American & Pacific Islander Health Forum, are expressing a new emotion: cautious optimism. “2020 was a watershed moment. Given the political divide in Washington, the COFA bill in the House was a shining example of bipartisanship to do the right thing. I’m just begging for our political leaders to have the political will to allocate resources—even translated materials—as our country is bracing for the next bad wave of Covid this winter. But the fact that we have political leaders willing to advocate to restore Medicaid, that’s a really good thing.”
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