NAACP Supports “Affordable, Quality Health Care Now”

WHEREAS, African Americans continue to experience worse health status and outcomes than White Americans and in 2019 the federal Office of Minority Health reported African Americans have a higher death rate than Whites for heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, and homicide; and

WHEREAS, according to the Century Foundation, the Affordable Care Act provided health care coverage to more than 20 million Americans who were previously uninsured, including 2.8 million African Americans, yet in 2018 Black Americans were still nearly twice as likely to be uninsured as White Americans (9.7 percent vs. 5.4 percent, respectively); and

WHEREAS, a recent study estimates that 18 percent of the 87 million underinsured adults aged 19 to 64 are African-American, with high-deductible plans that strain financial resources and prohibit the use of care; and

WHEREAS, findings of the 2019 AARP Prescription Drug Survey of likely voters aged 50 and older showed that, of the 463 African-American respondents, 84 percent reported daily use of prescription medication; 62 percent considered the price of prescription drugs unreasonable; more than 40 percent did not fill or delayed filling a prescription in the past year because of cost; and 40 percent believed they might have to limit necessities such as food, electricity and fuel in the future to afford their prescription medication.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP reaffirm our resolutions demanding affordable and equitable health care for all Americans, including the "Regarding Health Care for All (Universal Health Care)" resolution of 2006, the "NAACP Supports Full Implementation of the Federal Health Care Reform Law" resolution of 2010, the "NAACP Calls for Full Implementation of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act" resolution of 2013, and the "Prescription Drugs — Eliminating Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PMB) Gag Clauses" resolution of 2018; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP vehemently oppose any effort by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government to repeal the Affordable Care Act or undermine its provisions, including coverage of contraceptives without cost sharing, Medicaid expansion, and protections for those with pre-existing health conditions.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP call on pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, and health insurance companies, all of whom significantly impact the cost and availability of prescription drugs, to collaborate effectively to make drug prices affordable for all Americans and to dedicate more effort and resources to educate African Americans about patient assistant programs.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP urge Congress to develop and pass a public option that builds on the Affordable Care Act by further expanding coverage and requiring all states and municipalities to reduce disparities in care, lowering consumer costs for prescriptions and health care, and providing a publicly-sponsored alternative to private insurance.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP work individually and with other advocates, health care leaders, public policy experts, and policymakers to demand sound policy solutions to the social determinants of health in the United States in order to address our growing health and health care crisis and our longstanding health and social disparities, which systematically undermine well-being and opportunity for communities of color, including African Americans, and ultimately shortchange the nation as a whole.