Session: Universal Health Care as the Civil Rights Struggle of the 21st Century
3154.0: Monday, November 17, 2003: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Oral
Universal Health Care as the Civil Rights Struggle of the 21st Century
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." The struggle for civil rights defined American politics in the 20th century; racial inequality continues today, and is reflected in disparities in health care and health outcomes. While eliminating health disparities is a national goal, it remains impossible to achieve without universal health care. Achieving a national health insurance system is a fundamental prerequisite to seriously addressing health disparities. The struggle for civil rights provides important lessons to health activists who understand the inequality and discrimination inherent within our current "non-system". This session will bring together speakers active in both struggles who will share their insights on lessons learned from the civil rights struggle and why the current fight for national health insurance is the civil rights issue for the 21st century.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session the participants will be able to: 1. Compare and contrast the struggle for civil rights in the mid-20th century with the current struggle for national health insurance in the 21st century. 2. Describe the key barriers to creating a national health insurance system in America. 3. Describe the advantages of a national health insurance system for minority populations.
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Panelist(s):Claudia Fegan, MD
Martha Livingston, PhD
Maya Rockeymoore, PhD
Walter Tsou, MD, MPH
H. Jack Geiger, MD
10:30 AMUniversal health care: The civil rights issue of the 21st century
Claudia Fegan, MD, Martha Livingston, PhD, Maya Rockeymoore, PhD, Walter Tsou, MD, MPH, H. Jack Geiger, MD
Organized by:Socialist Caucus
Endorsed by:Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of APHA; Community Health Planning and Policy Development; Labor Caucus; Medical Care; Spirit of 1848 Caucus
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing, Pharmacy

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA