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According to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the United States has made little progress in the last twenty years in closing gaps that remain in healthcare equity. Racial and ethnic lines continue to be drawn in the quality and availability of care in this country, despite the United States spending the most on healthcare among developed nations. These disparities begin at birth.
Earlier this year, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health Journal posted findings from scientists at Northwestern University, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and several other institutions that found that the quality of healthcare received by racial and ethnic minorities in the United States was almost universally inferior compared to White children. This included neonatal and primary care, as well as emergency medicine and surgery.
These trends continue through adult life. Analysis of the KFF’s 2023 Survey on Racism, Discrimination and Health reveals a life expectancy for Black Americans that is nearly five years shorter (72.8 compared to 77.5 years) than their White counterparts. It also documents that Black women are nearly three times more likely to die due to pregnancy-related issues.