As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we can also commemorate a significant milestone on our journey toward health equity.
One year after Dr. King displayed the power of perseverance and partnership in a five-day march from Montgomery to Selma, he delivered a speech in Chicago at the annual meeting of the Medical Committee for Human Rights. In that speech he linked the quest for equality to health care, saying: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
Those words have resonated for many years with health equity champions dedicated to eliminating health disparities. Among them is former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Margaret Heckler, who led HHS from 1983 - 1985. After Secretary Heckler sent the nation’s annual report on health to Congress in 1984, she noted the “sad and significant fact” of a continuing disparity in the burden of death and illness experienced by minorities.
To combat this disparity, Secretary Heckler established the group that developed The Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health in 1985, commonly known as the Heckler Report. As the first federal recognition of eliminating health disparities as a national priority, the Heckler Report documented persistent health disparities that accounted for 60,000 excess deaths each year and synthesized ways to advance health equity. It also led to the establishment of the HHS Office of Minority Health, which has worked for nearly 30 years to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.
Dr. King’s clarion call continues to ring powerfully as we face another moment of opportunity to make steps toward health equity for all. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, there has been an historic decrease in the uninsured. In just one year we’ve reduced the number of uninsured by about 10 million people. Meanwhile, millions of Americans have signed up for health coverage on the Health Insurance Marketplace. And 3 million young adults have gained coverage through a parent’s plan.
Millions more still have an opportunity to gain vital health insurance coverage now, during open enrollment in the Marketplace, which ends on February 15. With every American who gains access to quality affordable health care, we are building upon the momentum created by the Heckler Report; and we are broadening our national response to Dr. King’s call for health equity for all.
Since the Heckler Report was released, progress has been made. The life expectancy gap between blacks and whites is at its narrowest. Cancer disparities are improving for all minority groups, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Childhood immunization disparities are closing for Native Americans and teen birth rates have dropped for all races and Hispanic groups. But our work is not yet done. Health and health care disparities persist. And having access to quality, affordable health care is as essential to accelerating health equity for minority communities as addressing social determinants of health, such as where we live, work and where our children play.
Dr. King’s legacy shines bright today as we reflect on the progress we as a nation have made in advancing health equity and attaining the peace of mind that comes with having affordable, quality health insurance coverage.
For more information about the Affordable Care Act visit HealthCare.gov or call 800-318-2596to sign up and get covered. For more information on the HHS Office of Minority Health, visit www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov.
J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE, is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and the Director of the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).