At a press conference yesterday with leaders of the National Minority Quality Forum and National Action Network, former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK) encouraged Congress "to oppose any cuts to Disproportionate Share Hospital payments in the final version of health care reform legislation unless the cuts are tied to significant reductions in a state's uninsured populations." The group called for health reform to address inequities in health care quality and access for the nation's growing racial and ethnic populations. Gary Puckrein, president and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum, is a member of the AHA's Special Advisory Group on Improving Hospital Care for Minorities.