Originally Published:20091001.

"Of all of the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and and inhuman."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Most health care professionals agree that access to health care is vital to life. Yet, there are organized forces to prevent access to health care services for millions of Americans. This opposition should be expected, because every great reform movement involved struggle and determination. As the United States Congress and President Obama deliberate on legislation to reform the American health care system, some voices are calling for the Congress to wait and go slow. Waiting is precisely what the American people have done for the last sixty years! As we wait the uninsured and underinsured, which are over represented by American citizens of color, get sicker or even worse die from deaths that could have been prevented. Specifically, infants of color are more likely to die before they reach their first birthday. Ethnic racial minority adults have higher rates of preventable diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke and heart disease. Hence, there is a moral imperative to ensure accessible and affordable health care to every American especially to those who are most vulnerable.

In addition to the moral and ethical arguments, it is in the economic interest of the nation to enact accessible and affordable health care for every citizen. Indeed, legislation on health care reform must focus on the disproportionate burden of health disparities which citizens of color and persons with low-come experience. Addressing these health inequalities may significantly decrease health care costs. For instance, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (2009) estimates that removing health disparities for minorities could have decreased direct medical care costs by over $229 billion during the years 2003 to 2006.

There are at three main bills on health care reform that will receive serious debate in the U.S. Congress at this time. One bill, H.R. 3200, includes a public health insurance option, provides for improvements in evidenced-based preventive and wellness services, as well as, shoring up core public health infrastructure services. It is important to recognize that a public health insurance option offers a viable framework for ensuring affordable accessible care to every citizen. In addition, the public option meets the moral standard of eliminating health care disparities related to access to care and the economic imperative of decreasing health care costs.

One of the functions of the Association of Black Nursing Faculty is to "act and speak on health-related issues of legislation, governmental programs, and community activities." Therefore, I invite you to join us to evaluate the various bills before the U.S. Congress, mobilize others in your community and be a voice for justice.