Public Policy: An Act Establishing a Commission on Health Equity (2008)

In a tremendous victory for both health and human rights advocates, Connecticut has passed and signed into law legislation establishing a comprehensive Commission on Health Equity. The Commission is dedicated to addressing racial, ethnic, linguistic and other disparities in health care access and quality, and has been given an impressive and broad set of tools and powers to create health equity in the state. Perhaps most significantly for human rights advocates, the preamble to the law states Connecticut’s belief in a human right to health:

"Whereas the General Assembly finds that . . . [e]qual enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is a human right and a priority of the state..."

The Opportunity Agenda is proud to have had a part in crafting the language of the legislation.