White House Honors Manjusha P. Kulkarni (’95) as “Champion of Change”

因教育亚裔美国人和太平洋岛民《平价医疗法案》而获得表彰的11位校友之一

On Thursday, April 24, the White House and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services honored 11 advocates and community leaders, including BU Law alumna Manjusha P. Kulkarni (’95), as “Champions of Change” for their work to educate Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders about the 平价医疗法案. 该活动赞扬了领航员、消费者援助人员、社区卫生中心和其他致力于确保亚太裔充分受益于医疗改革的个人或组织的领导、承诺和辛勤工作。

Manju is the executive director of 南亚网络 (SAN), a community-based organization dedicated to advancing the health, empowerment and solidarity of persons of South Asian origin in Southern California. Through her work at SAN, Manju advocates for effective policies and practices on issues impacting the South Asian American community, and works to educate South Asian Americans on the benefits of the 平价医疗法案 through in-language materials and outreach and individual assistance to enroll in California’s health benefit exchange, Covered California.

此前，Manju曾在加州洛杉矶的国家卫生法计划（NHeLP）担任高级律师，在那里她通过行政和立法政策倡导和诉讼，努力改善低收入人群获得优质医疗保健的机会。 她还撰写了许多文章、报告和培训材料，并为全国数百名健康律师和倡导者提供法律援助和培训。

长期以来，许多亚裔美国人、夏威夷原住民和太平洋岛民社区的成员无法获得高质量、负担得起的医疗保健。 四分之一的韩裔美国人没有医疗保险； 40岁以上的亚裔美国女性中，近40%没有做过常规乳房x光检查； 去年，四分之一的18岁以上亚裔美国人、三分之一的夏威夷原住民和太平洋岛民没有看过医生。 《平价医疗法案》提供了一个机会，为近200万没有保险的亚裔美国人和太平洋岛民提供优质、负担得起的医疗保健。 此外，10个没有保险的亚太裔中有8个可能有资格通过医疗补助、CHIP或健康保险市场的税收抵免获得经济援助。

The event included remarks by Dr. Howard Koh (SPH ’95), assistant secretary for health, and Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, deputy assistant secretary for minority health, as well as panel discussions featuring the Champions.