Republican Governor Rick Scott announced his support of Medicaid expansion this Wednesday. This was surprising due to his avid disagreement with the Affordable Care Act prior to last year’s Supreme Court ruling that upholds the law.

While the debates continue as to whether or not the Affordable Care Act (ACA) should be implemented, a key component of health reform that is often overlooked includes health equity and the elimination of disparities in health status and healthcare among vulnerable populations.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that is bound to go down in the history books as monumental. While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been the subject of endless debate, commentary, political jockeying and legal analysis, yesterday we learned a simple lesson: real people can win.

Zul R.H. Surani is manager for community outreach and partnerships at the University of Southern California’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also the co-founder and director of Saath USA, a community-based organization focused on South Asian health.

Hospital emergency rooms are often the "health safety net" for many communities. Denise Brooks-Williams of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) discusses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the role of local health service providers and the need for health equity.

2011 has been a year of harsh economic instability and political turmoil around the world. It is no wonder TIME Magazine has selected “The Protester” as its Person of the Year – people are jobless, helpless, frustrated and just mad as hell.

In the wake of health care reform, one of the key health equity issues that needs to be fully addressed is the collection and reporting of data on demographic variables for electronic health records (EHR), particularly for racial and ethnic minority groups. This is a critical issue because without comprehensive data, we are unable to accurately identify and track the disparities in health status and care among vulnerable populations.

Liz Fowler, Special Assistant to the President for health care and economic policy, discusses why the U.S. needed health care reform.

Working with health care organizations and communities, The Center for Health Disparities Solutions finds innovative ways to improve the health of people of color and positively affect national healthcare policy.

During a breakout session at last winter's White House Fiscal Responsibility Summit, President Obama's chief economic advisor Larry Summers introduced the subject of Social Security reform by suggesting that an increase in the retirement age may be a prudent consideration given that "Americans are living longer". When it was my turn to speak, I pointed out that "everyone" is not living longer and that, in fact, some researchers are forecasting a drop in America's overall life expectancy due to the childhood obesity epidemic.