NKF Endorses Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2022
Statement from the National Kidney Foundation on Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2022
April 28, 2022, New York, NY —The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is urging Congress to act on the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2022. A statement from Sharon Pearce, Senior Vice President of NKF Government Relations, as follows:
“The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) supports the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2022 (HEAA) because we recognize that communities of color, particularly Hispanic or Latino and African American or Black people continue to face long-standing racial and ethnic disparities in health and healthcare today. NKF worked closely with bill sponsors and other stakeholders to draft and revise portions of the bill related to kidney disease. We are especially supportive of its efforts to strengthen kidney related research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), improve access to clinical trials for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), accelerate public health and prevention activities around kidney disease, and expand access to home dialysis. NKF is a strong supporter of this legislation and will be working to advance it through the legislative process. We thank Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust Chairwoman Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-2) and her staff as well as all the organizations involved in revising and updating this important legislation.”
The Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2022 aims to:
- Address the intersections of health disparities and immigration status, age, disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, language, and socio-economic status.
- Eliminate barriers to coverage by addressing social determinants of health to mitigate the effects of systemic racism, poverty, and discrimination.
- Expand access to affordable and quality health care for all, including low-income communities and undocumented children and families.
- Strengthen health data collection to inform policies that eradicate racial and ethnic health inequities
- Target investments that strengthen the health care system so that it works for all.
To learn more about kidney disease and how to maintain optimal kidney health visit www.kidney.org/.
About National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.