Publish Date:   April 2025 Type:   Testimony and Comments Topics:  Health Advocacy, Health Equity, Health Disparities, Health Access, Language Access Ethnicity: Language:   State: APIAHF President & CEO Juliet K. Choi’s Outside Witness Testimony to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies for FY2026 Appropriations for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Publish Date:   March 2025 Type:   Report Topics:  Medicaid, Budget, Health Care, Health Access Ethnicity: Language:   State: A coalition of leading health and civil rights organizations — including the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights , NAACP , the National Council of Negro Women , the National Urban League , the Southern Poverty Law Center , UnidosUS , the Coalition on Human Needs , Families USA , the National Health Law Program , and Protect Our Care – published a report on the disproportionate harm Medicaid cuts would have on communities of color. Read the full report here:

Publish Date:   March 2025 Type:   Report Topics:  Research, Clinical Studies, Clinical Research, AANHPI, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Health Care, Health Access Ethnicity: Language:   State: The underrepresentation of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in clinical research is a longstanding issue that has significant implications for health equity. Without adequate representation, our understanding of AANHPI-specific health concerns, treatment effectiveness, and health outcomes remains incomplete. Addressing this gap is essential to ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare for all. In partnership with Amgen, APIAHF is proud to contribute to this critical conversation through this seminal research, with the goal of tackling health disparities, improving healthcare quality, and increasing accessibility for AANHPI communities.   View and download the full report here:

APIAHF - Press Releases READ MORE HOUSE PASSAGE OF THE SAVE ACT: A DIRECT THREAT TO AANHPI VOTER ACCESS April 10, 2025 READ MORE LEADING AANHPI HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS STATEMENT ON HHS REORGANIZATION APRIL 7, 2025 READ MORE STATEMENT ON THE CONFIRMATION OF DR. MEHMET OZ AS ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES APRIL 4, 2025 READ MORE APIAHF CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT'S TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT MARCH 23, 2025 READ MORE LEADING CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS DENOUNCE PROPOSED HISTORIC MEDICAID BUDGET CUTS AND ANALYZE THE IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR MARCH 13, 2025 READ MORE STATEMENT ON THE CONFIRMATION OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. AS SECRETARY OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FEBRUARY 13, 2025 READ MORE APIAHF STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP'S DAY ONE EXECUTIVE ORDERS JANUARY 21, 2025 READ MORE APIAHF WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBER JANUARY 16, 2025 READ MORE APIAHF COMMITTED TO THE CHALLENGES AHEAD NOVEMBER 21, 2024 READ MORE APIAHF APPLAUDS THE APPOINTMENT OF DR. KAMANA'OPONO M. CRABBE TO THE PRESIDENT'S ADVISORY COMMISSION ON ASIAN AMERICANS, NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS SEPTEMBER 27, 2024 READ MORE SENATOR HIRONO ANNOUNCES LEGISLATION FOR HEALTH EQUITY OCTOBER 8, 2020 READ MORE APIAHF APPLAUDS BICAMERAL CONGRESSIONAL INTRODUCTION OF THE HEALTH EQUITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2024 JULY 25, 2024 PRESS RELEASES — EDUCATIONAL DIGITAL INITIATIVES RESOURCES UPDATES PRESS RELEASES UPDATES PRESS RELEASES —

April 10, 2025 PRESS RELEASE HOUSE PASSAGE OF THE SAVE ACT: A DIRECT THREAT TO AANHPI VOTER ACCESS April 10, 2025 WASHINGTON —The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) condemns today’s passage of the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) in the U.S. House of Representatives—if enacted into law—it would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, particularly from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. Further, this will disproportionately harm voters who live in rural areas, especially in the Midwest and South; along with those with accessibility needs including elders. The legislation would require voters to present documentation—such as a birth certificate or passport—to register or update voter registration in person, which may result in people having to drive needless hours to vote. It would also eliminate online registration in 42 states, harm vote-by-mail initiatives, and make commonly accepted forms of ID, like REAL IDs, military IDs, or tribal IDs, insufficient to prove citizenship. Juliet K. Choi, president & CEO of APIAHF, issued the following statement: “The passage of the SAVE Act is a dangerous step backward for our democracy and brings us back to the time of a poll tax. Rather than safeguarding elections, this legislation erects new barriers to the ballot box—disproportionately harming communities like ours that already face systemic obstacles to voting. “AANHPI voters have long been impacted by discriminatory practices like voter purges of eligible voters due to minor discrepancies in name spellings. These bureaucratic errors have silenced thousands of our voices at the polls. This bill would worsen those barriers by undermining state-level solutions that are beginning to fix the problem. “AANHPI communities—especially naturalized citizens and first-generation voters—are also among the highest users of vote-by-mail and online registration systems. In 2020, over 60 percent of Asian American voters cast ballots by mail, and online registration has been a critical entry point for our communities to participate in civic life. “Let’s be clear: this is not about election security. This is about restricting access and silencing voices. We call on the Senate to reject this harmful and unnecessary legislation.” APIAHF remains committed to protecting the rights of all Americans—regardless of race, language, or immigration background—to access free and fair elections. # # # 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

MARCH 28, 2024 PRESS RELEASE APIAHF APPLAUDS OMB REVISIONS TO DIRECTIVE 15 FOR ACCURATE, INCLUSIVE FEDERAL DATA STANDARDS MARCH 28, 2024 WASHINGTON —Today, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. The revised standards modernize the collection of race and ethnicity data and improve how federal agencies analyze and publish that data. Directive 15 was last updated in 1997 to create separate “Asian” and “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and expand “Hispanic” to include “Hispanic or Latino.” APIAHF President & CEO Juliet K. Choi released the following statement: “APIAHF is proud to have advocated for revised standards, including submitting comments with over 40 national, state, and local partners through the regulatory process, that would reflect the communities that span our great nation. The updated Directive 15 is the culmination of work across all communities and between federal agencies toward data equity in the U.S. “In particular, we applaud including the new Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) category. We know first-hand the importance of communities being seen and represented, and this new designation will mean critical resources, including in-language, can be delivered to MENA communities. We also applaud OMB’s commitment to revising these standards and establishing a regular review ahead of each decennial census. “We look to OMB’s continued commitment to build upon this great work by requiring all federal departments and agencies to collect, analyze, use, report, and disseminate disaggregated data on communities as the minimum standards. Accurate, inclusive data is core to the work that we can achieve and has a meaningful impact on how resources are allocated. We look forward to continuing collaboration with OMB as they work to implement these new revisions.” # # # BACK TO PRESS RELEASES Next Item Previous Item BACK TO PRESS RELEASES