IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 699 
Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the goals and ideals 
of National Minority Health Month in April 2016, which includes bring-
ing attention to the health disparities faced by minority populations 
of the United States such as American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asian 
Americans, African-Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Hawaiians 
or other Pacific Islanders. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 21, 2016 
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Ms. LEE, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. JUDY 
CHU of California, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Ms. 
KELLY of Illinois, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. BEN RAY LUJA´N of New Mex-
ico, and Ms. CLARKE of New York) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Re-
form 
RESOLUTION 
Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the 
goals and ideals of National Minority Health Month in 
April 2016, which includes bringing attention to the 
health disparities faced by minority populations of the 
United States such as American Indians, Alaskan Na-
tives, Asian Americans, African-Americans, Latino Amer-
icans, and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. 
Whereas the origin of the National Minority Health Month 
is National Negro Health Week formed in 1915 by Dr. 
Booker T. Washington; 
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•HRES 699 IH 
Whereas the theme for National Minority Health Month in 
2016 is ‘‘Accelerating Health Equity for the Nation’’; 
Whereas through the ‘‘National Stakeholder Strategy for 
Achieving Health Equity’’ and the ‘‘HHS Action Plan to 
Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities’’, the De-
partment of Health and Human Services has set goals 
and strategies to advance the safety, health, and well- 
being of people of the United States; 
Whereas a study by the Joint Center for Political and Eco-
nomic Studies, entitled ‘‘The Economic Burden of Health 
Inequalities in the United States’’ concludes that between 
2003 and 2006, the combined cost of ‘‘health inequalities 
and premature death in the United States’’ was 
$1,240,000,000,000; 
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
identified 6 main categories in which racial and ethnic 
minorities experience the most disparate access to health 
care and health outcomes, including infant mortality, 
cancer screening and management, cardiovascular dis-
ease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and immunizations; 
Whereas African-American women are twice as likely to die 
of cervical cancer than non-Hispanic White women; 
Whereas African-American women in 2012 were 10-percent 
less likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer, yet, 
were almost 42-percent more likely to die from breast 
cancer compared to non-Hispanic White women; 
Whereas African-American women are twice as likely to lose 
their lives to cervical cancer as non-Hispanic White 
women; 
Whereas African-Americans are 50-percent more likely to die 
from a stroke than non-Hispanic Whites; 
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•HRES 699 IH 
Whereas in 2013, 80 percent of children born infected with 
HIV belonged to minority groups; 
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
identified heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes as 
some of the leading causes of death among American In-
dians and Alaskan Natives; 
Whereas American Indians and Alaskan Natives die from di-
abetes, alcoholism, unintentional injuries, homicide, and 
suicide at higher rates than other people in the United 
States; 
Whereas American Indians and Alaskan Natives have a life 
expectancy that is 4.4 years shorter than the life expect-
ancy of the overall population of the United States; 
Whereas African-American babies are almost twice as likely 
as non-Hispanic White or Latino babies to be born at low 
birth weight; 
Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Native babies are 
twice as likely as non-Hispanic White babies to die from 
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); 
Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Natives have 1.5 
times the infant mortality rate as non-Hispanic Whites; 
Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Native babies are 50- 
percent more likely to die before their first birthday than 
babies of non-Hispanic Whites; 
Whereas marked differences in the social determinants of 
health, described by the World Health Organization as 
‘‘the high burden of illness responsible for appalling pre-
mature loss of life [that] arises in large part because of 
the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, 
and age’’ lead to poor health outcomes and declines in 
longevity; 
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•HRES 699 IH 
Whereas the ACA provides specific protections and rights for 
American Indians and Alaskan Natives, 23 percent of 
whom lack health insurance; 
Whereas despite the substantial improvements in health in-
surance coverage among women overall, women of color 
are more likely to be uninsured; 
Whereas in 2013, 15.9 percent of African-Americans were 
uninsured, as compared to 9.8 percent of non-Hispanic 
Whites; 
Whereas African-American women are more likely to be unin-
sured or underinsured, at a rate of 19 percent; 
Whereas one-quarter of Latinas live in poverty and compose 
the greatest number of uninsured among women in any 
other racial group at a rate of 31 percent; and 
Whereas community-based health care initiatives, such as 
prevention-focused programs, present a unique oppor-
tunity to use innovative approaches to improve health for 
practices across the United States and sharply reduce 
disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports 
the goals and ideals of National Minority Health Month, 
which includes bringing attention to the severe health dis-
parities faced by minority populations in the United 
States, such as American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asian 
Americans, African-Americans, Latino Americans, and 
Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. 
Æ 
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