My next guess is the youngest black woman serving in the house of representatives. She is also a registered nurse about whom we have been talking about nurses and frontline providers all day, so this is a great opportunity. She has been a strong advocate for lowcost, good Quality Health care. Welcome, congresswoman underwood. I hope you heard some of what we discussed. Every crisis creates an opportunity, and maybe we need to get some of the wrongs we have embedded in society, systemic racism, inequality, people being left out, and use this as an opportunity. I am interested in what you think about what he said and what can be done. Rep. Underwood i think a focus on comorbidities and other issues that people might have come up or existing conditions, is relevant when we are talking about the severity of death rates. But we also see significant disparities in infection rates. That extends beyond social determinants of health. I am glad that is part of their conversations and they have elevated the longstanding conversations at the cbc. This Health Equity officer he is talking about. However, we do know that communities of color are often essential workers, frontline workers. They do not have the option to stay at home or work from home, and they are sacrificing potentially their own health and wellbeing and that of their families in order to serve their communities in their essential jobs. I think this is a systemic problem within our health care system, and we will have to wrap our arms around this issue in order to have a comprehensive solution. I have not seen a comprehensive solution to date from this administration. Host dr. Renfield was also ofing there is an absence strategy in a lot of places. But you have the insights of being a nurse. Ena when will be on earlier people in that profession know they are putting themselves on the line. But isnt there part of the social contract where we need to do more than we are doing . When you have colleagues in congress, republicans and democrats, do they come to you and ask, what arent we doing that we should be doing . Rep. Underwood thats right. It is not part of the social contract to ask a nurse to wear a soiled, contaminated in 95 mask day after day. What we talk about the sacrifices when we talk about the sacrifices we are asking our nurses to make, we cannot be sacrificing clinical norms and standards of highquality care just because we are in a pandemic. The United States has been battling covid19 for four months now, and we could have jumpstarted our any factoring capacity, but the president decided not to fully activate his authorities under the defense production act. As we continue through this phase of researching cases i ams the country seeing headlines in newspapers saying, we are in this place then where we dont have satisfactory equipment or the number of hospital beds or whatever other issue. I think we have a real problem right now in this response, and that is not part of the social contract. Host what else do you think Congress Needs to be doing that it is not doing . Nancy pelosi has, and i am sure you are a part of it, a nextwave, the 3 trillion cares act and dealing with other things that were undone. But is there something between that . Some people say that will not fly in the senate, but what is the next piece of doable legislation and doable support for the country that you think we need . Rep. Underwood in the heroes act, we called for free coronavirus treatment. That is so critically important because in this time of covid19, we know there are so many people who are symptomatic, who are delayed getting tested and avoiding seeking treatment because they know they cannot afford a week in an icu. They cannot afford to pay being on a ventilator. That has been a real barrier to people being able to get control of the virus and it spread to the community. We know the American People have been cutting their pills in half. They have been tapering their insulin because it is too expensive. Congress has been trying to address those issues, but during the time of a pandemic, there is an additional sense of urgency. That is why, and it is so very important, that we take the opportunities to extend free coronavirus treatment to everybody in this country. Host how is your district looking at washington right now . Your constituents . Do they think this is all keystone cops, or do they look at washington for helping to support them . The peoplested in you talk to. They look to you and what is going on here. Do they think they are getting what they should be getting . Rep. Underwood there are certainly problems in rolling out the paycheck protection program. There are still unmet needs among Small Business owners. The looming threat of Unemployment Benefits expiring at the end of this month have been a real challenge for folks. I would say there is a huge segment of our community, recent graduates who are looking for student debt relief. That is something when we think about this economic crisis that covid has jumpstarted. We really have to deal with the full range, not just housing. It is not just paychecktopaycheck. It is looking at the entire financial situation of the American People and making sure we are at least stabilizing so we do not need hundreds of thousands of americans thrown into financial distress, that no amount of cash infusion into the fed would be able to address. Host we have a question. We have been taking questions. We have a great one for you that i would like to post from jill. Jill my name is jill. I am a certain a certified nurse and midwife. I also work with the American Association of birth centers. My question is for representative underwood. How can we reduce the racial and economic disparities that impact Maternal Health more seriously, especially when much of the Current Health focus is on the pandemic . Thank you. Host such a big question, maternal and infant health. I just want to share with the audience that the rates of difference when you look across racial lines are staggeringly horrible. Your thoughts on that . Rep. Underwood yes, thank you for the question. As the pandemic was coming into effect here in the United States, we were preparing to introduce something called the that iaternal health act cofounded with all my adams in april 20 19 with alma adams in april 2019. It was to address this longterm disparity that black women are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth in this country. Issuestackling workforce , Data Collection issues, mental experiences of car serrated women the experiences of incarcerated women. Applying them specifically to mental to Maternal Health facilities. This is really a comprehensive bill. We have some bipartisan support, and we are excited about this National Conversation that is happening around saving moms lives. There is no time like the present. Covid19 has certainly impacted Maternal Health in this country. The cdc put out a report in june that said that black and latinx women are more likely to have severe covid illness when they are pregnant, and that is something that is extremely alarming. We have to have a wide lens focus. Would allow usct to focus on those issues. Host i want to ask you quickly one last question, because it has been on my mind. You heard myif discussion with secretary alex azar earlier, but i asked about their efforts to replace obamacare and whether there was anything real there. He shared that he thought there was. , a lot of people worry about preexisting conditions and where is the Trump Administration on that . He said, we are absolutely mandating that preexisting conditions remain covered, that we are committed to it. I just want to ask you, do you believe him and do you believe that . Rep. Underwood i absolutely do not believe it, but i think it is a very nice sentiment. Act, theo build the first aca enhancement bill that has passed in 10 years. Congressional republicans had four terms since the aca was signed into law to make the improvements they sought. Instead, they try to repeal and diminish and tear down the Critical Health protections that hundreds of millions of americans rely on every year. We stepped up big time and we are working to lower premiums, expand coverage, expand medicaid, and make sure the American People are truly protected. Host i just want to acknowledge, because you sound great. Your picture froze, so we put more on me than the congresswoman, but that is why. I hope we can have you back because theres a lot we need to discuss and i appreciate your perspective today and your work in congress on these issues. Thank you so much for joining us. Rep. Underwood thanks, really appreciate it. Host we will focus our energies on race and access of care. A few high skipping notes a few housekeeping notes. You can tweet us we will be broadcasting live and take your questions through the program. If you experience problems with the livestream, please refresh the page. That should be a quick fix. The coronavirus does not discriminate among we thought. Numbers are scrutinized from Racial Disparities come into focus. People of color at the lower end of the economic spectrum
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