Advocacy News Addressing Health Disparities Through Advocacy The COVID-19 pandemic has shed a light on and widened the inequity and disparities that exist within the U.S. health care system. Health inequities contribute to worse outcomes and higher risk for people with inadequately managed diabetes and many other chronic diseases. These disparities undermine the well-being of our most underserved communities. People with diabetes in these communities need support now. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has launched the new #HealthEquityNow platform, available from diabetes.org/healthequitynow and is supporting legislation to address these disparities, including Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly's Ending Health Disparities during COVID-19 Act. This legislation would: * Enhance COVID-19 testing and contact tracing efforts among medically underserved populations * Ensure that federal agencies and state governments are capturing data on health disparities * Provide COVID-19 treatment at no cost * Create a national COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Task Force * Provide additional health insurance enrollment opportunities for those who have lost coverage "The ADA is proud to support the Ending Health Disparities during COVID-19 Act," said Tracey D. Brown, ADA's Chief Executive Officer. "This important legislation would help level the playing field by implementing nationwide COVID testing, providing free treatment for the virus once it becomes available, and expanding access to insurance for those who lose health coverage when they lose their job. This bill couldn't have come at a more critical time, and we urge all members of Congress to support this bill." The time for action is now. Contact your lawmakers in support of this important health equity bill and show that we're in this together. Learn more about the legislation here: diabetes.org/newsroom/press-releases/2020/ ada-applauds-the-ending-health-disparities-duringcovid-19-act. professional.diabetes.org 9https://www.diabetes.org/healthequitynow https://www.diabetes.org/healthequitynow https://www.diabetes.org/ce-rep-robin-kelly-bill-health-equity#/16 https://www.diabetes.org/newsroom/press-releases/2020/ada-applauds-the-ending-health-disparities-during-covid-19-act https://www.diabetes.org/newsroom/press-releases/2020/ada-applauds-the-ending-health-disparities-during-covid-19-act https://www.diabetes.org/newsroom/press-releases/2020/ada-applauds-the-ending-health-disparities-during-covid-19-act https://professional.diabetes.org/content-page/win-ada http://professional.diabetes.org