Racial Inequalities in Accessing Healthcare
February was Black History Month, and I find it extremely important that we talk about present healthcare issues facing the Black Community in the US. The healthcare system is undoubtedly flawed, with many arguing between private and government insurance. Amongst all that noise, unfortunately, the racial disparities in our healthcare system are often lost.
According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy related health problems than white women. Furthermore according to the AJMC, “Overall pregnancy related mortality in the United States occurs at an average rate of 17.2 deaths per 100,000 live births. However, that number jumps to 43.5/100,000 for non-Hispanic Black women.
Though some might argue that maternal mortality is often caused by preexisting conditions or other issues that transcend race, the truth is otherwise. A lot of problems that lead to said mortality stem from racial income and educational inequality. According to the National Partnership Black women make on average 63 cents for every dollar paid to Non-Hispanic men. This income gap is evident when considering the gap in healthcare use for Black women.
Black women are more likely to not have the means to afford insurance, not have the finances to receive quality prenatal care, as well as the fact that many rural, black serving hospitals provide lower quality maternal care thant heir counterparts. Economic differences aside, many medical studies have shown that Black women are more at risk for many preexisting conditions or health complications such as: fibrous tumors (that grow in the uterus), preeclampsia, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, that can impact a pregnancy.
Overall, this issue must be talked about and addressed in more detail. Though changing systemic racism, and socioeconomic barriers will take years, decades even, we can always start somewhere by expanding access to healthcare for Black women around the country.
