Excerpt: Why Korean Americans Need Responsible Health Reform: Our Worsening Health

This excerpt from NAKASEC’s Why Korean Americans Need Responsible Health Reform factsheet illustrates some of the disparate health outcomes that affect communities of color.

Our Worsening Health
• Nationally, 26% of Korean Americans do not receive regular care [the number climbs to 48% among those uninsured], with only 26% of Korean Americans reporting to visit a regular doctor.

• Subsequently, Korean Americans are more susceptible to delayed care, the possibility of financial ruin, and even death in emergency rooms.

• Though breast, cervical and colon rectal cancer is common among Korean American women, screening practices are greatly underused. In California 53% of Korean American women aged 40 or older reported receiving a mammogram in the past two years, and only 50% aged 18 years and older have had a Pap Test according to the National Institutes of Health. The rates are even lower for colon rectal cancer screenings.

Read the whole factsheet (PDF) to learn more about why Korean Americans need responsible health reform and what you can do about it.