Transportation and Medical Access for Chronic Disease Management

WHEREAS, the uninsured and underinsured often rely on public transportation to get to medical appointments; and

WHEREAS, the uninsured and underinsured often have more than one pre-existing or co­morbid health condition, especially high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and depression, which require them to visit doctors not located in same location; and

WHEREAS, not being able to find or afford transportation can be an enormous cost for these patients; and

WHEREAS, without reliable, culturally appropriate transportation, these patients may use emergency services as an alternative to proper self-management of conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic conditions, and monitoring and adjustment of medication and medical advice. They have poorer health outcomes and disease progression leading to aggressive treatments such as amputation of limbs and very often miss preventative appointments; and

WHEREAS, African Americans are more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to have diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases; and

WHEREAS, transportation is provided by Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT); and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ("NAACP") will advocate for the increase in funding and monitoring of the Medicaid NEMT, which spends $3 billion annually in transportation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP will request review (by state and federal agencies) of the process for transportation and medical access to include culturally appropriate contractors and providers for medical appointment transportation services by NEMT; and

BE FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP will promote legislation and regulations that amend the current language for persons receiving Medicaid to include and cover NEMT services for reliable roundtrip transportation for medical appointments.