WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (HI), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), and Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-28), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, introduced the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2024 (HEAA). The bill focuses on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities and has been introduced by the Congressional Tri-Caucus, composed of CAPAC, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. This is the first time HEAA has had a bicameral introduction, and over 150 members of Congress have co-sponsored the bill over the past two decades.

HEAA is a comprehensive and strategic legislative blueprint and one of the few bills that contains community input from over 300 organizations, including national health justice and civil rights organizations.

APIAHF president & CEO, Juliet K. Choi issued the following statement:

“As our nation's demographics change, so do our health needs. Underserved and underrepresented communities face substantial barriers to obtaining quality health care and equitable health outcomes. APIAHF is proud to lead the 118th Congress's reintroduction of HEAA, with AAPCHO, to tackle these health disparities head on. HEAA invests in culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and health services, creates a pipeline for an inclusive workforce, and deploys innovative strategies to reach communities regardless of region, immigration status, gender, ethnicity, age, or disability. Achieving health equity requires a multi-faceted approach, and HEAA provides a blueprint to do exactly that.”

The full text of the bill is available here. A one-pager is available here. Learn more about HEAA here.

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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.