Unequal Care: The hidden reality of healthcare disparities
In the land of opportunity where advancements in healthcare seem limitless, realities are deceptive and persisting – not all Americans have the same access to healthcare. Healthcare disparities exist among races, ethnicities, socioeconomic status, geography, genders, and other factors.
Dr. Edward E. Cornwell, a preeminent trauma surgeon and Chief of Howard University College of Medicine, said, “I was born in Friedman’s Hospital, which became Howard University Hospital… the historical aspects of what would now be known as outcome disparities are front and center in the scientific and social aspects of what we do in surgical care.”
Compared to Whites, African Americans, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives have higher rates of mortality and chronic diseases. In 2021, African Americans had the lowest life expectancy at 70.8 years compared to 76.4 years for Whites and 77.7 years for Hispanics.
For Dr. Edward E. Cornwell, medical disparities have historical roots dating from slavery, as he explained during the 20th anniversary of the W. Montague Cobb Institute Health Disparities Symposium conference at Howard University Hospital recently. “In the long fight to achieve equity, healthcare disparity is fundamental … related to access.”
Bryan, a 23-year-old African American living in Washington, DC, endured a few of these medical disparities when he was undiagnosed and sent home in 2022. Suffering from symptoms such as shortness of breath and abdominal pain, he decided to go first to Medstar Hospital in Georgetown. After a nonconclusive test, still in pain and with no diagnosis, he was sent home. Bryan said, “I was in Washington DC and Virginia hospitals such as GW Hospital, MedStar, Unity Healthcare, and Tyson Emergency in Virginia. When I checked in at those hospitals, they could not detect what I had.” Bryan received multiple tests in each hospital with different and inconclusive results. He said, “It was terrifying for me as I didn’t know how they would treat me.” He eventually stopped going to hospitals because he felt little effort was invested into treating him.
This lack of compassion and understanding is also a problem of representation within the medical care system; Dr. Edward E. Cornwell said, “There’s only a handful of hospitals that cared for or trained Black physicians to go into their specialty.” Even if the medical disparities seem to narrow, they remain prevalent and continue to inflict harm on individuals, especially minorities.
Individuals try to effect change to narrow the disparity gap. Dr. Edward E. Cornwell said, “The way to solve this is by increasing awareness through education. Increasing resource coordination can also benefit the groups most negatively impacted by health inequalities. For instance, by providing cultural competency training to healthcare professionals, healthcare organizations can contribute to reducing ethnic health disparities”.
Another factor that weighs heavily in the balance is medical bills.
In 2022, 40 percent of U.S. adults were in medical debt. Medical bills are also a leading cause of bankruptcy today in the U.S., which also impacts low-income and uninsured households more.
“The biggest issue, in my estimation, is insurance,” Dr. Edward E. Cornwell explained. There is a correlation between race and insurance status. “Insurance status bears the strongest correlation between whether you live or die.”
Disparities in healthcare and treatment remain, imposing other obstacles for minorities, manifesting the urge for reforms and equitable care.
By Rachelle Papillon-Amblard
