Copyright 2000 Federal News Service, Inc.
Federal News Service
May 11, 2000, Thursday
SECTION: PREPARED TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 364 words
HEADLINE:
PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE TOM BLILEY
BEFORE THE
HOUSE COMMERCE COMMITTEE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
SUBJECT - H.R. 3250, THE HEALTH CARE FAIRNESS ACT OF 1999
BODY:
I'm pleased that the Subcommittee is
holding this hearing today on HR 3250, the Health Care Fairness Act. This
legislation seeks to enhance research and education to address disparities in
health care for minorities. African Americans have a 70 percent higher rate of
diabetes than whites. Hispanics suffer at a rate nearly double that of whites.
African Americans have a cancer death rate about 35 percent higher than that for
whites. Vietnamese women suffer from cervical cancer more than 5 times the rate
of white women. We need to know why this is the case and I hope today's hearing
will help.
I'm particularly pleased that Dr. Anne Peterson, the
Commissioner of Health with the Commonwealth of Virginia will be here today to
testify.
The State of Virginia began mandatory reporting of HIV back in
1989. Collecting this data, as you will hear from Dr. Peterson, has had a
positive impact on Virginia's ability to identify and treat people with HIV.
This Committee is looking into reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE
Act this year and I think it is timely to look at how minority
populations are currently impacted by the way the Ryan White Act distributes
funds.
I'm also interested in learning more about minority health
professional education programs. GAO reported in the past that there have been
some problems ensuring that funds allocated for minority health education are
adequately targeting the minority health professionals they were designed to
help.
I hope as we consider enhancing programs for minority populations,
we make a full assessment of the programs that exist today, how they are working
in meeting their goals and how they will coordinate with the new programs
proposed in this legislation.
While I understand that the Administration
does not have an official position on this legislation yet, I'm hopeful that the
Administration will be able to provide us with their position soon.
I
thank the Subcommittee Chairman for holding this hearing. And I welcome all our
witnesses today. I appreciate so many of my colleagues taking time out of their
day to testify at this hearing and I look forward to receiving all the witnesses
testimony.
END
LOAD-DATE: May 18, 2000
