Health care is very personal for me.
I was born with a heart murmur, my mother is a breast cancer survivor but lost her mom at the age of 3, an aunt who lost her life due to cancer, and my dad cleaned hospital rooms for 29 years. But because of having access to health care, my family’s dreams were not deferred. I am sure that I am not the only African-American who has received a second, third and fourth chance of realizing my dreams due to being healthy enough to realize them.
But for too many African-Americans, lack of access and unaffordable health care meant that their dreams were not realized.
Now, due to President Barack Obama, Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Democratic Members of Congress, health care is no longer an unmet promise for African-Americans and all Americans, it is now the law of the land.
But, you ask – how does health care help me? How does it help my family? I am glad that you asked.
Dr. Garth Graham from the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Minority Health has posted a new video on WhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform that discusses some of the many benefits of the Affordable Care Act for African Americans. Before the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, the African American community struggled more than most as a result of our broken health care system. As Dr. Graham points out, African Americans are nearly twice as likely to be uninsured than the rest of country and are consequently more likely to experience serious issues with medical bills and medical debt.
Fonte: White House