Federal Health Law Will Improve Health in Black Communities, California Leaders Say

California leaders say the federal health care overhaul will help African Americans get better access to health services. Democratic State Senator Curren Price says over the next few years, the Affordable Care Act could mean more primary and quality care for more than two million black Californians.

“It’s going to help level the playing field, and ultimately eliminate some of the nagging health disparities.”

Darcel Lee of the California Black Health Network says African-Americans are more likely to die from cancer than any other ethnic group. And blacks use the emergency room for care more than whites.

“Our numbers are so critical and so crucial that when we’re helped by programs like the ACA, everybody else gets helped as well.”

The health leaders applaud the law’s provisions that give free preventative care and guarantee health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions.