Senate Bills - 109th Congress

S. 1580—The Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act

On July 29, Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) introduced S. 1580, the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act. NIH-related provisions would (1) require the Secretary of HHS to establish a national working group on work force diversity, on which the NIH National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) and other HHS entities would serve, (2) require the NCMHD to collaborate with the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality and the HHS Office on Minority Health on expanding research on the link between health workforce diversity and quality healthcare, and (3) require the Secretary, acting through the NCMHD and in collaboration with the OMH, the Office for Civil Rights, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and other appropriate public and private entities, to establish and coordinate a health and healthcare disparities education program to support, develop, and implement educational initiatives and outreach strategies that inform healthcare professionals and the public about the existence and methods to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare. S. 1580 has fifteen cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance.

Legislative Update (August 2005): Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act