South Asian American Health Research and Policy

Abstract

Governmental policies specifically addressing the health needs of South Asian Americans remain non-existent at the federal and state levels. Recognition that South Asian Americans experience unique health conditions and disparities is a recent phenomenon driven by the work of a few community-based organizations and academic centers. Federal and state governments generally lump South Asian American health into the overarching "Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander" category, making most of the research and data useless to understand and improve South Asian American health status. As South Asian Americans generally benefit from the same governmental health programs as other Americans, they should become familiar with community health centers, Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). South Asian American public health organizations and medical institutions must partner to institute a National Health Action Plan to focus research efforts on individual South Asian American communities. So that their health remains a research and political priority, South Asian Americans should become a stronger voice in AAHNOPI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)