The rambunctious debate on healthcare reform has finally gained momentum. During the Senate Finance Committee meeting, GOP Senator Snowe (R-Maine), along with leading Democratic senators, voted yes on approving legislation to reform the healthcare system. Senator Snowe, the only Republican senator who voted yes, and other Democratic politicians agreed to a $810 billion Health Bill.
"Is this bill all that I would want? Far from it. Is it all that it can be? No. But when history calls, history calls. And I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress to take every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time.”
Senator Snowe's comments are important because it signifies that healthcare reform is starting to advance. Healthcare reform is not just the in the minds of Democrats but also Republicans. This is proof that many Americans really want change. So, what does this mean to Asian Americans?
There are many Asian Americans who have achieved the American Dream of earning a good education and becoming financially stable. These portrayal of Asian Americans have misled many people to assume that all Asian American are wealthy, educated, and healthy. However, the reality is that more than a million of Asian Americans live at or under the federal poverty line. Therefore, there are many Asian Americans who lack healthcare insurance.
Asian Americans with a low socioeconomic status are not able to receive healthcare insurance. In addition, some Asian Americans lack necessary skills such as English language proficiency to find jobs that would provide healthcare insurance. Further more, some Asian Americans cannot afford private healthcare insurance because it is too expensive or qualify for Medicaid.
- Two million Asian Americans do not have insurance in the U.S.
- One in five Asian American between the ages of 18-64 report having no health insurance or being uninsured at some point in the past year.
- Among Asian Americans, 55% of Korean Americans are most likely to be uninsured. The percentage of other uninsured Asian American groups is 37% of Vietnamese, 18% of Asian Indians, 16% of Chinese, 15% of Filipinos, and 4% of Japanese.
Source: The Commonwealth Fund
Affordable and accessible healthcare is possible with the help of a public opinion healthcare reform, allowing many Asian American to have a better chance of receiving healthcare.
We need this for America!
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