Affordable Care Act of 2010 and opportunities for advancing health equity: Taking vision and promise to reality

As the population of the United States grows more culturally diverse, so does the significance of achieving equity in health care. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, offers for the first time in almost 50 years, an unprecedented opportunity to advance this objective. As identified in our July 2010 report, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Advancing Health Equity for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations, ACA incorporates explicit support for redressing longstanding racial/ethnic disparities through programs for cultural competence, language assistance, workforce diversity and data collection. Texas Health Institute is conducting a comprehensive analysis of ACA and related policies and programs to assist public and private health and human service agencies in implementing provisions authorizing cultural competence. The analysis describes the nearly two dozen provisions on cultural competence and discusses their appropriations, timeline, federal agency roles and responsibilities, implementation progress and challenges. It reviews major reports, legislative analyses and peer-reviewed literature highlighting best practices, models and lessons learned across the country in implementation of similar programs. The final report will address the importance of measurement, metrics and establishing an evidence-base for advancing equity through cultural competence initiatives. This presentation will provide attendees with an in-depth understanding of ACA provisions for advancing cultural competence and recommendations for agency and ground-level implementation. Attendees will obtain a knowledge base to fully take advantage of new programs and funding opportunities and advocate for implementation where legislative efforts fall short.