HOUSTON—(U.S. ASIAN WIRE)— The Sixth Annual Congressional Tri- Caucus Health Summit convened recently in Houston, TX with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) meeting with local minority health coalitions and regional and national public health officials and experts to examine strategies to address health and health care disparities among communities of color. The Congressional Tri-Caucus Health Summit will seek to build consensus on policies that address health disparities, to develop strategies for advocacy at the federal level, and to engage these communities in legislative action and outreach.

Despite stereotypes depicting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as "model minorities" who seldom face social ills, recent data shows that there are wide disparities in health coverage when compared to other racial and ethnic groups. From 2004 to 2006, 24 percent of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and 31 percent of Korean Americans were uninsured. Cancer is the leading cause of death among Asians, yet recent data also show that Asian Medicare beneficiaries were less likely than whites to receive cancer screenings services. Also, Asian Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with diabetes were less likely to receive diabetic services across all age, sex, and socioeconomic groups, even though diabetes is more prevalent among Asians than whites and represents the fifth leading cause of death among Asians.

"Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders face significant obstacles to obtaining quality healthcare and have higher rates of certain preventable diseases, such as hepatitis B and tuberculosis, than the general population," said Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Chair of CAPAC. "Our communities face cultural and linguistic barriers, and difficulty accessing health insurance. Approximately one-third of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders live in linguistic isolation, 21 percent are uninsured, and even more are underinsured. I will continue to work with my colleagues to pass H.R. 3014, the Tri-Caucus Health Equity and Accountability Act, to address these disparities."