The definition varies and according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, "healthcare disparities are differences in access to or availability of medical facilities and services and variation in rates of disease occurrence and disabilities between population groups defined by socioeconomic characteristics such as age, ethnicity, economic resources, or gender and populations identified geographically."
These disparities result from social inequalities and these factors also lead to racial and ethnic minority groups experiencing greater rates of illness and death that expand across a wide range of health conditions, including obesity, asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease when compared to Whites.
As well as a high prevalence of obesity and medically diagnosed diabetes, Blacks and Hispanics also rate poorer self-reported health, have a greater number of both mentally or physically unhealthy days, and have higher rates of potentially preventable hospitalizations than non-Hispanic whites. Blacks have higher rates than Whites for most of the 15 leading causes of death and these disparities give rise to higher healthcare needs than Whites. Minorities have been and continue to be more likely than Whites to be uninsured, receive unequal treatment because they receive poorer quality care, and have fewer physician visits due to cost.
Health disparities are avertible differences in lessening disease, injury, and opportunities to achieve elective health that socially disadvantaged populations experience.
This data shows that Whites have the most health care coverage at a staggering 88%. African Americans are closely behind at 82%
This data shows that Hispanics were the highest race/ethnicity that did not have personal doctor or a health care provider in 2020.
This data shows a couple different things. For instance, across racial and ethnic groups, uninsured rates were higher and Medicaid coverage levels were lower in states that have not expanded Medicaid compared to those that have implemented the ACA Medicaid expansion.
This data shows that Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients had significantly higher rates of hospitalization and death compared to their White counterparts. Hospitalization rates for Hispanic and Black patients with COVID-19 were more than four and three times higher, respectively, compared to the rate for White patients.
According to the CDC, the COVID-19 crisis disproportionately affected minorities. Americans who come from an ethnic minority group faced an increased risk of being infected with COVID-19, an increased risk of being hospitalized, and an increased risk of death. The disparities were highest at the onset of the pandemic (from May to July 2020), but they were clearly visible throughout.
Why? According to webMD.com, socioeconomic factors that predate the COVID-19 pandemic by decades are to blame. Disparities in housing and education, as well as more difficulties on the job market and the stress of living in the cycle of poverty, have been contributing to an increased risk of health issues for minorities for decades. COVID-19 was made worse by these issues simply because it spread so fast, and on top of that, it increased economic strain worldwide, especially for those living in the lower socioeconomic classes. This just goes to show that America's problem of systemic racism is just that - systemic. One part of the system can and will affect the others.
As previously mentioned, there are a multitude of factors that lead to these disparities between white people and ethnic minorities in healthcare. One of the biggest problems, though, is simply the sheer cost of healthcare, which leads to delayed care and reduced access to quality healthcare. Unfortunately, due to preexisting systemic conditions that keep ethnic minorities from advancing up the socioeconomic ladder, this will affect minorities more than white people who have access to more wealth.
The solution lies with our sacred vote. The ball is in the court of our elected officials, who need to implement a healthcare system that works for everyone, not just those with money. We need to vote for politicians who would work towards this goal. Only then will we see these disparities fade away.
https://www.ahrq.gov/topics/disparities.html#:~:text=Healthcare%20disparities%20are%20differences
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Lee H, Hodgkin D, Johnson MP, Porell FW. Medicaid Expansion and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Health Care: Applying the National Academy of Medicine Definition of Health Care Disparities. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing. 2021;58. doi:10.1177/004695802199129
White-Means, S. I. (2013). Health disparities. In P. L. Mason (Ed.), Encyclopedia of race and racism (2nd ed.). Gale. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.delta.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/galerace/health_disparities/0?institutionId=2952
Romano, Sebastian, et al. “Trends in Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Covid-19 Hospitalizations, by Region - United States, March–December 2020.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Apr. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7015e2.htm.
Gordon, Serena. “Why Are Minorities Hardest Hit by Covid-19?” WebMD, WebMD, 6 May 2020, https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200506/why-are--minorities-hardest-hit-by-covid-19#1.