By: Philip Qualo, J.D.
Just when the United States was starting to adjust to a new COVID-19 reality, where bejeweled face masks, social distancing and hand sanitizer have become as fundamental to our existence as water, current events have yet again set us down a new trajectory in these unprecedented times. The May 25th murder of George Floyd, a Black man who was unarmed and handcuffed at the time of his death at the hands of law enforcement sparked a series of national protests that has called on the world to reexamine policies and practices that disproportionately impact people of color. The protests have spawned into a national movement in the U.S. that has aimed at reforms in law enforcement practices and legislative accountability. There is a very important arena, however, where racial disparities are not being discussed at this time, and that is in healthcare. Disparate access to affordable, yet effective, healthcare has and continues to have disproportionately negative impact on people of color. In most cases, access to healthcare can be the difference between life and death.
Despite the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, racial disparities in healthcare continue to be a troubling phenomenon in the U.S. Black men and women face 40 percent and 57 percent higher hypertension rates than White men and women, respectively. The death rate from breast cancer for Black women is 50 percent higher than for White women. On average, 25 percent of Latinx children aged 6–11 years are considered obese, compared to 11 percent of White children. Asthma prevalence is also highest among Black and Native American communities, and Black children have a 260 percent higher emergency department visit rate and a 500 percent higher death rate from asthma compared to White children. Native American, Latinx, and Black communities have the highest percentages of adults with diabetes.
Even more troubling, the infant and maternal mortality rates for Black babies and mothers are far higher than those of White babies and mothers. In the U.S., based on 2016 data, White babies die before their first birthday at a rate of 4.9 per 1,000, and White women die from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes at a rate of 13 per 100,000. While those numbers are far higher than other wealthy countries, the picture is far worse for Black babies and mothers. Black babies die before their first birthday at a rate of 11.4 per 1,000, and Black moms die from childbirth-related causes at a rate at a rate of 42.8 per 100,000 – more than double and triple the rates of White babies and moms, respectively.
There is no one solution that can fix this problem. Recognizing that these disparities exist, is something we all must do before we can contemplate how to remedy this systemic issue. In reviewing these troubling statistics, the only solace I find is an overwhelming feeling of being blessed to work for The Phia Group. At Phia, ensuring every American is insured is not enough; we are firm in our belief that we need to reduce the cost of care at a national level. Racial disparities in healthcare will continue to grow with escalating costs, as low income minorities struggle to maintain equal access to affordable coverage and basic healthcare that would likely identify many of the above listed health issues before they grow into lifelong, chronic, and costly conditions. As workforces are growing more and more diverse by the day, this is certain to be a reality to many employers that offer health coverage to their employees. Therefore, improving racial inequality is not only a matter of civil rights, but a matter that must be taken seriously by the healthcare industry in our collective efforts to keep costs low, and access to coverage affordable for all.