Healthcare Advocacy - Healthcare's Racial Divide

January 18, 2023

Jan 18, 2023

Good Day Healthcare Advocates

Every day we advocate for better healthcare for all of us is a good day. Thank you also to all of you advocates who have recently subscribed and to those who have asked for particular topics (use the comment button below). Some of the topics in work are the middlemen benefit managers and rural healthcare. Thank you.

We would also like to thank Dr. Betty Keller for inviting us to a PNHP meeting last night to discuss rural healthcare. We were there to learn. We will be presenting more on that particular issue in the coming days.

Mission

The Healthcare delivery system in the United States is a patchwork that leaves much to be desired. It is the most expensive system among the top 35 industrial countries and covers far fewer participants delivering lower levels of quality care than many of our peer nations. This blog will provide:

Current problems in healthcare
Actions you can take
References

Current State of Affairs - Healthcare’s Racial Divide

Previously we discussed maternal mortality in relation to race. We found it almost 5x higher for black women than white. What is healthcare like if you’re not white in the US?

Remember that between 8% and 10% of the population has no health insurance. 19% of Hispanic Americans and 11% of Black Americans are uninsured. White Americans are about 8% uninsured. And people of color account for half of all the uninsured.

With regard to economics If you are a Black family then, on average, you spend about 20% of your family’s income on health insurance premiums.

Remember we talked about how medical debt was such a crushing issue? About 33% of Black Americans aged 18-64 have medical debt.

The quality statistics are also not good. At middle age (40) whites live 7 years longer than their Black counterparts.

Access to healthcare is also part of the issue. Majority Black neighborhoods are 67% more likely to be medical deserts.

African Americans are 71% more likely to die of cervical cancer, 22% more likely to die of heart disease and babies die at twice the rate of their white counterparts. What’s wrong here?

It seems that access to care is a primary culprit. Remember the VA is like a giant HMO that treats all eligible recipients fairly. When studying their data we find Black men are 37% less likely than white to develop heart disease and are 24% more likely to survive. Quite a turnaround.

When comparing those with end stage renal disease (covered by Medicare), Black patients survive longer than white.

We are witnessing an access to care issue. What fixes it? You know, Universal healthcare, like all other advanced industrial nations. Thank you to PNHP for such good data.

What You Can Do – Contact Legislators

Use Resistbot below or call/email your senators and representative and say

“My name is __________________(name) and I live in __________________(zipcode) and I am your constituent. “We all deserve a healthcare system that works for all of us, no exceptions. People of color have significantly lower health outcomes than white people over a wide range of conditions and you can fix it. I want you to support universal healthcare - Medicare for All - for all Americans NOW. Please act as if your job depends on it!!”

Resistbot

Text SIGN PYDDBD to 50409 to send the letter below to your representative and senators.

We all deserve a healthcare system that works for all of us, no exceptions. People of color have significantly lower health outcomes than white people over a wide range of conditions and you can fix it. I want you to support universal healthcare - Medicare for All - for all Americans NOW. Please act as if your job depends on it!!

EXTRA CREDIT - Letters to the Editor

Here is a link to sample letters to the editor you can cut and paste and send (thank you PNHP). Simply cut and paste the appropriate letter into the online “Letters to the Editor” page for your favorite newspaper. There are letters if you're a doctor, med student or just regular advocates. Thank you.

EXTRA EXTRA CREDIT - State of Washington Only

Click on this link https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5335 to tell your Washington State Representatives you want Universal Healthcare to be implemented via the Washington Health Trust SB 5335. You need to put in your address, and hit verify, and below select support. Comments are optional but welcome. Thank you.