Readout of HHS Secretary Becerra’s In-Person Roundtable Meeting with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Leaders

HHS hosts a discussion during AANHPI Heritage Month to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to meeting the needs of the AA and NHPI communities

On Monday, May 6th, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra hosted a roundtable discussion with leaders of national organizations serving Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. Secretary Becerra was joined by Krystal Ka‘ai, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), who moderated the discussion.

As Co-Chair of WHIAANHPI, Secretary Becerra thanked the leaders for advancing health equity and reaffirmed the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to address health disparities impacting AA and NHPI communities. Participants discussed strategies to reduce health disparities, expand access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care, and improve the quality of care received. These strategies focused on addressing language access, enhancing health workforce cultural competency, combatting substance abuse, increasing access to mental health care while reducing stigma, and promoting data disaggregation, among other topics.

HHS is committed to ensuring the needs of AA and NHPI individuals are met with urgency and understanding. For example, HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently published a Final Rule which will require covered health insurance issuers, health programs or activities, and Health Insurance Marketplaces to provide language assistance services to patients free of charge and thus reduce language access barriers for AA and NHPI communities.

AA and NHPI communities are also benefitting from programs and policies to increase access to coverage and lower costs. HHS reported a historic 21.3 million Americans selected an Affordable Care Act Insurance Marketplace plan during the 2024 Open Enrollment period. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of AA and NHPI enrollees increased by 14 percent. The Inflation Reduction Act has helped people with Medicare save money on prescription drugs as a month's supply of each Medicare-covered insulin product is capped at $35. Furthermore, beginning in 2025, annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs under Medicare Part D will be capped at $2,000. As a result, a projected 33,800 Medicare enrollees who identify as Asian American and do not receive financial assistance will save $1,000 or more on prescription drugs.

More information on how HHS is advancing health equity for AA and NHPI communities can be viewed here.

The following participants joined the roundtable:

• Xavier Becerra, HHS Secretary
• Krystal Ka‘ai, Executive Director, WHIAANHPI
• Jeffery B. Caballero, MPH, Executive Director, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
• Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
• Dr. Sheri-Ann Daniels, CEO, Papa Ola Lōkahi
• Karla Thomas, Co-Executive Director, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
• Clayton Fong, President and CEO, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging
• Dr. Marielle A. Reataza, MD, MS Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse
• Rod Lew, Executive Director, Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment Advocacy & Leadership 
• Quyên Đinh, Executive Director, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
• Samira Khan, MPH, President, South Asian Public Health Association  
• Dr. Gloria Lamela Beriones, Ph.D., RN NEA-BC, President, Philippine Nurses Association of America, Inc.
• Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum 
• Dr. Nia Aitaoto, Ph.D., Interim Executive Director, National Association of Pasifika Organizations
• Krystle Canare, Deputy Director, National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
• Dr. Martina Kamaka, MD, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, National Council of Asian and Pacific Islander Physicians