Instead, the Commission has questioned whether some of the provisions provide racial preferences that are unconstitutional. Say what? It became clear where the Commission was coming from after looking at its members – four appointed by George W. Bush, two independents, and two Democrats appointed by Congress.

It is no surprise that the Commission has come under fire from the Leadership Council on Civil Rights, a coalition of 200 civil rights organizations, for becoming too political. That would seem almost a prerequisite for working in the Bush administration. Apparently the Commission has taken issue with programs in the healthcare bill that would provide incentives for physicians to practice in underserved areas by forgiving medical school debts, and education for underserved populations about public health issues.

This is exactly the kind of thing the Commission should be advocating for, instead of opposing in such a blatantly political way.

Ethnicmajority healthcare page.

Many of the protesters expressed a common theme about why they are opposing healthcare reform. Almost all of these folks already have health insurance, private or public (Medicare), and it appears their main concern is that they will be footing the bill for covering the 50 million people who don’t.

So who are the uninsured? According to the Centers for Disease Control, 14.8% of the population is uninsured, including 19.8% of the working age adults (age 18-64). Amongst the caucasian population, only 10.5% are uninsured. This compares to 33.1% of Hispanics, 16.0% of Blacks, and 13.3% of Asians. Clearly people of color represent a disproportionately high percentage of the uninsured.

What the protesters fail to realize is that the insured bear the cost of treating the uninsured, which is substantial since they are getting treated by hospital ERs instead of neighborhood doctors. These costs are passed on to the insured in the form of increased premiums. So if you are already paying for the uninsured, wouldn’t you rather get a better bang for the buck by increasing competition amongst insurance carriers and stop using hospital ERs to treat minor illnesses?

Ethnicmajority Healthcare page.

I wanted to inform EthnicMajority readers of some new documentaries that have recently been released by California Newsreel. They look at contemporary civil rights issues such as housing descrimination, unfair incarceration and health inequities along racial lines.

TULIA TEXAS

Though its scrupulous investigation of a landmark case, this documentary uncovers the deep-rooted assumptions about race and crime that still permeate our society and undermines our justice system. The film convincingly shows how the ‘war on drugs’ has become a war on due process, waged against African Americans.

http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0218

SCARRED JUSTICE: THE ORANGEBURG MASSACRE

This documentary brings to light one of the bloodiest tragedies of the Civil Rights era after four decades of deliberate denial. The killing of four white students at Kent State University in 1970 left an indelible stain on our national consciousness. But most Americans know nothing of the three black students killed at South Carolina State College in Orangeburg two years earlier.

http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0223

UNNATURAL CAUSES: IS INEQUALITY MAKING US SICK?

This documentary, sounds the alarm about our disturbing socioeconomic and racial inequities in health – and searches for their root causes. But those causes are not what we might expect. There’s much more to our health than bad habits, health care or unlucky genes. The social conditions in which we are born, live and work profoundly affect our well-being and longevity.

http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0212

BRICK BY BRICK: A CIVIL RIGHTS STORY

This documentary tracks the landmark case, U.S. vs Yonkers, which challenged housing and educational discrimination in the North and pushed for desegregation.

http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0219

California Newsreel is the oldest non-profit, social issue documentary film distribution center in the country and a leading resource for the advancement of racial and social justice. Visit our website at: www.newsreel.org

Those who experience heartburn at least twice a week, even after trying home remedies and a change in diet, could be suffering from a potentially serious condition called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), commonly referred to as Acid Reflux Disease. In fact, it is estimated that 6.1 million Hispanic-Americans in the United States suffer from GERD.

Full story…

Fighting elderly poverty

Between 1959 and 1974, the elderly poverty rate fell from 35 percent to 15 percent. This was largely attributable to a set of increases in Social Security benefits. The elderly poverty rate has continued to decline in subsequent decades, reaching 9.4 percent in 2006. Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits continue to play a key role in reducing elderly poverty, especially among women and people of color. If Social Security benefits did not exist, an estimated 44 percent of the elderly would be poor today, assuming no changes in behavior.

Full story…

AIDS was once viewed as a disease found primarily in gay, white men in big cities. “Twenty-seven years later,” however, Swyers says “it is disproportionately affecting the African-American and Latino populations.”

Hispanics have gone rather unnoticed in terms of HIV infection rates. They account for 14 percent of the United States population, yet represented 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses in 2006.

Full story…

The report found that Hispanics made up 32% of the state’s general population but only 5% of its practicing physicians. Blacks accounted for 7% of the population and 3% of physicians. Native Americans were 1% of the population and 0.6% of physicians.

As a group, Asian and Pacific Islanders were not underrepresented, making up 11% of the general population and 26% of physicians. However, there were shortages in Asian subgroups such as the Hmong, Samoans and Cambodians.

Full story…

Full story…