About

The Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust is the authority on African American and minority health disparities on Capitol Hill. The Braintrust is tasked with creating legislative and policy solutions to reduce health disparities and promote good health outcomes in multicultural communities.

The CBC Health Braintrust’s theme for the 114th Congress is “The March Toward Health Equity,” in honor of the 50th anniversary of the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery and aligning with the overarching goal of promoting equality for African Americans across the spectrum. The Braintrust aims to address the most pressing challenges in achieving health equity for African Americans, with a particular focus on obstacles to good health in our most disadvantaged communities.

The Health Braintrust’s agenda is three-fold:

Strengthening Our Communities: Through our Stronger Communities Initiative, the Braintrust will coordinate legislative and grassroots action to directly engage communities in achieving better health outcomes. The Health Braintrust will also work to increase the body of research that Congress commissions to measure the impact of social factors on health with the goal of creating community-based responses to the factors responsible for health disparities. 

Improving Healthcare Access: The Health Braintrust will work to address the lack of access to healthcare, health insurance and health providers that contributes to poor health outcomes in underserved communities. A key component of this effort will be defending the Affordable Care Act from appeal attempts while championing the law’s full implementation, particularly with respect to Medicaid expansion. The Braintrust will also address the cost and quality of healthcare. 

Achieving Health Equity in a Generation: The Health Braintrust will work with healthcare experts, communities and our Congressional colleagues to develop and strengthen policies and funding streams that address generational disparities. We will work to tailor health strategies to focus on disease and illness prevention among young patients, promote healthy behaviors in middle-aged patients and optimize healthcare access for older patients.