Racial Disparities in HealthCare - Good News - It's Fixable
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Healthcare Isn’t the Same for All of Us
The Commonwealth Fund released a new report this week on how well the healthcare system works for all of us in the US. They wanted to know if there were disparities for racial or ethnic communities. It turns out that racial and ethnic disparities in health care are evident in every state, even those with robust health systems. Specifically, researchers found health system performance is markedly worse for many people of color compared to white people.
The Commonwealth Fund’s State Scorecard on Health System Performance series evaluated each state’s health care system and is a tool developed to understand health inequities and disparities. It uses 25 data indicators to designate a "State Health Equity Score," which indicates each state health system’s performance based on health care access, quality, service use and health outcome. Scores were also determined for each of five racial or ethnic groups (Black, White, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN), and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations. The study reviewed data from 328,000,000 people during the years 2021 and 2022, notably incorporating post-pandemic effects on health disparities.
Takeaways:
Death rates and prevalence of health problems vary significantly by race and ethnicity in every state.
Health outcomes, as measured primarily by death rates and the presence of health problems, differ significantly by race and ethnicity. Historically, Black and AIAN people have had lower life expectancies compared to other groups in the U.S.
Premature deaths from avoidable causes vary across states and occur at a higher rate among Native American, Alaskan Native and and Black people compared to other racial and ethnic groups.
Racial and ethnic health disparities are perpetuated by less insurance coverage and unequal access to high-quality care.
Lack of comprehensive insurance coverage is a key contributor to disparities in access.
The report concluded that achieving health equity requires policy action and health system action, including:
Ensuring affordable, comprehensive, and equitable health insurance coverage for all
Strengthening primary care
Improving health care quality and delivery
Health systems and providers prioritizing and centering equity
Investing in social services
Improving the collection and analysis of racial and ethnic data to identify gaps
Developing equity-focused measures to inform and evaluate policy
Summary
My daughter has a name for such situations - Hot Mess. While strides have been made getting people insured there are still well over 25 million with no insurance and 10s of millions who are underinsured (high deductible policies). These people delay care until problems are serious and expensive and risk putting themselves into medical debt for years.
There is also an inherent racial component as well that we have previously discussed and that will take training each new class of medical providers. Such discrimination includes ideas like Black people don’t feel pain the same as White. Diversity in education and in medical practice helps remove this built in bias over time. But it takes effort and time and eliminating affirmative action only hurts.
Overall, the other problems the report found are generally fixed by making sure that everyone has the ability to go to the doctor without fear of huge financial cost.
Single Payer healthcare does that. It can be done at the state or federal level. Let’s remind or members of Congress and Senators that this can be fixed.
ACTION
Contact information for our Members of Congress and Senators is in the Resources section. Let’s point them to the Commonwealth Fund Report (https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2024/apr/advancing-racial-equity-us-health-care) and remind them that universal single payer insurance will help fix the problem.
Or use RESISTBOT by texting SIGN PXYBNI to 50409 to send this email (shareable).
“I am your constituent and I just learned from a new Commonwealth Fund Report that non-white people in the US experience worse healthcare and lower life expectancy that white people. Here is a link to that report, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2024/apr/advancing-racial-equity-us-health-care.
A large part of this racial divide is lack of comprehensive health insurance. I want you to cosponsor and enact a National Single Payer Healthcare system, HR 3421, to fix that.
While I have your attention, I want you to know that a number of states want to implement their own single payer universal healthcare system and they will need a variety of federal waivers to do it. For that reason please enact the State Based Universal Health Care Act to bundle those waivers for them. Thank you.”
Resources
Healthcare Advocacy (Us)
Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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"Single Payer healthcare ... can be done at the state or federal level." Correct, amigo. I too am an agnostic. Old bumper sticker: "MILITANT AGNOSTIC - I don't know and you don't either"