On June 12, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a Final Rule adopting a number of changes to the Health Care Rights Law (Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act). The 2020 Final Rule radically reinterprets civil rights protections under the Health Care…
National and State & Local Organizational Letter to Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy We are organizations that care about the health of limited English Proficient (LEP), deaf, hard-of-hearing, and DeafBlind communities, blind persons, and people who cannot rely on speech to be heard and understood. Sadly, the needs of…
In April, 2020, three weeks after the novel COVID-19 pandemic was declared, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum surveyed 45 community partners to assess their needs in responding to the national crisis. The respondents are located across 23 different states that cover all regions of the U.S. Ten of the organizations focus on Southeast Asian populations,…
We are organizations that work with and advocate for Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations, deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, blind persons, and people who cannot rely on speech to be heard and understood. We write to you in support of ensuring the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic adequately meets the communication and language access needs…
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Section 1557, known as the Health Care Rights Law, has offered critical protections in civil rights and health care for several protected groups. In promulgating the Final Rule in 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) went…
APIAHF opposes the proposed changes to Section 1557 in the proposed rule that would limit application of the law to certain covered entities, eliminate protections for LGBTQ+ persons and persons needing reproductive health care, and roll back and eliminate certain language access protections. The NPRM runs counter to the explicit text of Section 1557 and…
The Trump Administration has proposed to roll back health care civil rights protections for women, LGBTQ+, and limited English proficient (LEP) people. If this goes unopposed, as many as 25 million LEP Americans could face increased barriers to healthy lives.
Re: CMS-1693-P Medicare Program; Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2019; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Quality Payment Program; and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Dear Administrator Verma: The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the proposed…
Action for Health Justice (AHJ) is a collaborative of over 70 community-based organizations and Federally Qualified Health Centers, and four national advocacy organizations working across 22 states who came together to help Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders enroll in health insurance coverage options through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This infographic is a…
