Why is it so hard to find mental health treatment for black women?
Finding the right treatment for mental health concerns can be difficult in this country, and Black women usually have to surmount even higher hurdles than others to get the support they need. On a humid July morning that was to hit 95°F, Tiffany Hathorn found herself frozen in her front yard.
What are the health care inequities facing African Americans?
These inequalities contribute to gaps in health insurance coverage, uneven access to services, and poorer health outcomes among certain populations. African Americans bear the brunt of these health care challenges.
Do black women have access to healthcare?
Being underinsured is a huge problem for many people, and while 86% of Black women in America had access to health care last year, levels of coverage vary, particularly among women of reproductive age. Tiffany Hathorn laments that while her plan covers medication for her anxiety, it doesn’t cover therapy.
How does the Affordable Care Act affect black health outcomes?
Even with improved access to medical care under the ACA, the disparities in health outcomes between African Americans and whites are stark. African-American women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women, for example, and the African-American infant mortality rate is twice the rate for white infants.
Which race is least likely to have health insurance?
As of 2019, nonelderly AIAN, Hispanic, NHOPI, and Black people remained more likely to lack health insurance than their White counterparts.
Why do minority groups have less access to healthcare?
Compared with white persons, black persons and other minorities have lower levels of access to medical care in the United States due to their higher rates of unemployment and under-representation in good-paying jobs that include health insurance as part of the benefit package (Blendon et al., 1989; Trevino et al., 1991 ...
What is racial disparity in healthcare?
The Institute of Medicine defines disparities as “racial or ethnic differences in the quality of health care that are not due to access-related factors or clinical needs, preferences, and appropriateness of intervention.” Racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive poorer quality care compared with nonminorities, even ...
Do minorities have less access to healthcare?
Minority Americans Have Lower Rates of Insurance Coverage and Less Access to Care Lack of health insurance is linked to less access to care and more negative care experiences for all Americans. Hispanics and African Americans are most at risk of being uninsured.
Do minorities receive worse health care?
NAM found that “racial and ethnic minorities receive lower-quality health care than white people—even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable.” By “lower-quality health care,” NAM meant the concrete, inferior care that physicians give their black patients.
How does race affect medical care?
Compared with whites, members of racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive preventive health services and often receive lower-quality care. They also have worse health outcomes for certain conditions.
How do you address racism in healthcare?
Strategies for Combatting Racism in Health CareExamining institutional policies with an equity lens.Establishing accountability frameworks such as equity scorecards.Auditing medical school curricula for erroneous references to race.Reviewing clinical algorithms that erroneously rely on race.More items...•
Why does race matter in health?
Race might influence an individual's health in several ways. It might covary with different environmental or genetic factors that underlie risk, different interactions between genetic and environmental factors, or different combinations thereof.
What are the health disparities that exist for African American?
Compared to their white counterparts, African Americans are generally at higher risk for heart diseases, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS, according to the Office of Minority Health, part of the Department for Health and Human Services.
What race uses Medicaid the most?
WhitesAn estimated 47.3% of Whites, 40.0% of African Americans, and 30.0% of Native Americans met new eligibility criteria for Medicaid, compared with 81.1% of Asian Americans, 57.0% of Latinos, and 55.1% of individuals of more than 1 race.
How does racial bias affect healthcare?
Racial bias in healthcare can lead to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) having a harder time accessing healthcare. This can mean a Person of Color has delays in treatment, leading to worse outcomes.
How many minorities have no health insurance?
In 2021, the national average was 11.4 percent. White Americans had a below average rate of just 7.5 percent, whereas 11.8 percent of Black Americans had no health insurance.
What are the factors that affect African Americans' health?
Certain social factors, also referred to as social determinants of health, have important implications for health risk and the ability to attain health insurance coverage. Poverty, income inequality, wealth inequality, food insecurity, and the lack of safe, ...
How does the wealth gap affect African Americans?
53 (See Figure 5.) Research shows that the wealth gap impacts African Americans across the income and education spectrum, making it harder for them to own homes or build retirement savings. 54 And while African Americans on average have less total debt than whites, the wealth gap means they are more likely to have costly, high-interest debt obligations. High health care costs and surprise medical bills can negatively affect an African-American family’s ability to reduce or eliminate debt, and ultimately the ability to create wealth—which could impact a family for generations.
How many people are covered by medicaid?
It is jointly funded by states and the federal government, and has been operating for fifty-four years. 12 As of August 2019, the program covered 68 million people, with African Americans making up about 20 percent of Medicaid enrollees. 13 Because African Americans tend to be poorer than other demographic groups on average, public health insurance programs such as Medicaid are vital to ensure affordable health care and healthier outcomes. In states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), African Americans and other people of color are most likely to fall within a coverage gap —meaning they earn too much to qualify for the traditional Medicaid program, yet not enough to be eligible for premium tax credits under marketplace plans. 14
What is Medicare for All?
Medicare for All is a signature single-payer plan originally authored by Senator Bernie Sanders, setting forth a vision for major structural change of the health insurance system. It has since been endorsed and supported by Representative Pramila Jayapal (who introduced the House version of the legislation ), Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Cory Booker, and a host of other progressive policymakers. 64 It calls for a single federal program with comprehensive benefits for all U.S. residents that would replace all private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The plan would be financed by taxes and eliminate premiums and cost-sharing or out-of-pocket costs, leading to major cost-savings for consumers in the long run. Taking into account the vast economic challenges for African Americans, savings in health care costs could help lead to better economic outcomes. In turn, health outcomes could also improve due to more comprehensive coverage available to all.
Does health reform address racism?
Unfortunately, current health reform plans fall short in adequately addressing racism in the health care system. This stands in the way of ensuring health equity, namely full insurance coverage and quality health care access for African Americans.
Is racism a part of health care reform?
In an effort to draw implications from leading health care reform plans, recommendations are made for the way forward in ensuring that the physiological and social impacts of racism are not omitted in efforts to secure truly universal health care coverage in America.
Who is Jamila Taylor?
Jamila Taylor is director of health care reform and a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, where she leads TCF’s work to achieve universal, affordable health care coverage and advance women’s health, reproductive rights, and racial and gender justice.
How many black people seek mental health treatment?
Reported studies found that “ black professionals make up only 2.6% of mental health clinicians in the United States, which is low considering that approximately 20% of black Americans seek mental health specialty treatment within a 12-month period .”. While access to culturally diverse providers is low, the cost of mental health treatment remains ...
How much does mental health treatment cost?
On a monthly basis, mental health treatment alone can accrue an out-of-pocket cost between $120-$1,200. Within the U.S, of the 34 million people who identify themselves as African-American, 22% live in poverty.
Is $200 a therapy session?
Advertisement. When a private practitioner sets a rate for $200 for a therapy session, it is easily discernible who his or her target clientele will be. Yes, therapy can serve as a healthy outlet to processing emotions and thus, requires extreme care and attention to the needs of others, but it also takes extreme vulnerability, ...
What is the power of black women gathering?
“The power of Black women gathering to support and uplift one another is an indigenous form of healing,” says Neal-Barnett.
Is underinsured a problem?
Still, far more outreach needs to take place. . Being underinsured is a huge problem for many people, and while 86% of Black women in America had access to health care last year, levels of coverage vary, particularly among women of reproductive age.
Do licensed therapists have to be culturally competent?
While licensed therapists in most states are required to demonstrate some level of cultural competency —meaning they know what various communities are facing and can navigate cultural differences between themselves and a client—it can be hard to judge someone’s level of expertise off the bat.
Did Tiffany have anxiety?
“It turned out well, but look at all the worrying and fear I had to push through,” says Tiffany, who has struggled with anxiety since she was a child yet wasn’t officially diagnosed with clinical anxiety until she broke down crying in her son’s doctor’s office 10 years ago.
What is the ACA for black people?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has important implications for Blacks as they face longstanding and persistent disparities in health and health care. One of the key goals of the ACA is to reduce the number of uninsured through an expansion of Medicaid and the creation of new health insurance exchange marketplaces with tax credits to help ...
How many black people don't have health insurance?
Nationwide, just over one in five (21%) of Blacks do not have health insurance. However, the likelihood of being uninsured varies widely across states, ranging from 9 percent of Blacks in Delaware to 30 percent in Louisiana. Uninsured rates for nonelderly Blacks are particularly high in the South (Figure 5).
Why is the ACA important?
The ACA coverage expansions provide an important opportunity to increase health coverage and access to care for uninsured Blacks. Given that most uninsured Blacks are in low-income families, the majority would be in the income range to qualify for the ACA coverage expansions, particularly the Medicaid expansion.
What happens if the ACA doesn't work?
If a state does not implement the expansion, poor uninsured adults will not gain a new coverage option and will likely remain uninsured.
What percentage of blacks are under 26?
Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, the Black population is notably younger. Overall, 40 percent of all Blacks are under the age 26, compared to 30 percent of non-Hispanic Whites and 35 percent of all U.S. residents.
How many black people are covered by medicaid?
Given limited access to private coverage and low incomes, Medicaid is an important source of coverage for 9.4 million Blacks, many of whom would otherwise go uninsured. However, Medicaid eligibility levels for adults remain limited in most states today, particularly in the South, where Blacks are more likely to live.
What percentage of black workers are employed in blue collar jobs?
However, the large majority of Black workers (70%) are employed in blue-collar jobs that typically provide low wages and are less likely than white collar jobs to offer health insurance coverage.
Why did Meghan Markle stop receiving medical care?
Markle decided to stop receiving medical treatment due to the rising costs and debt, and died in September 2018 at the age of 52. “My mom was constantly doing the math of treatment costs while she was on the decline,” Valderrama said. “I really miss my mom.
How many Americans delay medical treatment?
A December 2019 poll conducted by Gallup found 25% of Americans say they or a family member have delayed medical treatment for a serious illness due to the costs of care.
What kind of cancer did Anamaria Markle have?
Anamaria Markle, of Port Murray, New Jersey was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer in 2017. A clerk for nearly 20 years at the same firm, her family says her employer laid her off after the diagnosis, with one year’s severance and health insurance coverage.
Why did Jennifer Finley die?
Three months later, Finley was found dead in her apartment after avoiding going to see a doctor for flu-like symptoms.
Why are people delaying getting medical care?
Millions of Americans – as many as 25% of the population – are delaying getting medical help because of skyrocketing costs.
How many people in the US went without health insurance in 2018?
In 2018, 27.8 million Americans went without any health insurance for the entire year. One of those Americans was the father of Ashley Hudson, who died in 2002 due to an untreated liver disease, an illness that went undiagnosed until a few weeks before his death.
How many people die from not having health insurance?
A 2009 study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School found 45,000 Americans die every year as a direct result of not having any health insurance coverage. In 2018, 27.8 million Americans went without any health insurance for the entire year.
Advocacy in Action
Explore the progress the AMA is making on top advocacy issues with our breakdown of Top Advocacy Victories.
Cash, private payers cover MAT visits
Another key finding was that almost 40% of outpatient visits resulting in a buprenorphine prescription between 2012 and 2015 were paid for out of a patient’s own pocket. Private insurance paid for 34% and only 19% were paid for by either Medicare or Medicaid.
What is Black Girl Magic?
That "voice," catchphrased as "Black Girl Magic," is a combination of power, resilience, and irrevocable sass. Often heralded as the spellbinding ability of Black women to turn tragedy into triumph, what happens when the magic masks the misery? When strength is the illusion, what results from the unacknowledged fragility?
Do black women have a collective voice?
Even in the protest of microaggression and trauma, Black women continue to use their collective voice. Black women are the backbone of social justice movements and are known for quickly mobilizing to the polls. Yet, protections for this group remain limited, even in the legal realm.
Can the healthcare system continue to treat racial and ethnic value?
The healthcare system cannot continue to treat racial and ethnic value and the need for cultural sensitivity as an afterthought. It's time to reframe the narrative, acknowledge the voice of Black women in health, and drive policy change.
Coverage Gains—And Obstacles—For African Americans Under The ACA
Systemic Health Care Challenges That Reform Must Address
- Despite coverage gains, remaining health care challenges exist that have a disproportionate impact on African Americans. The lack of Medicaid expansion in key states, health disparities, and health care provider shortages make it incredibly hard to address America’s health care needs in a comprehensive way. And while these challenges are factors that touch many Americans in v…
Important Considerations For Health Care Specific to African Americans
- Certain social factors, also referred to as social determinants of health, have important implications for health risk and the ability to attain health insurance coverage. Poverty, income inequality, wealth inequality, food insecurity, and the lack of safe, affordable housing are just a few. Another important social factor leading to poor health outcomes and economic disadvanta…
Overview of Health Care Reform Plans
- Several health care reform proposals62 have been introduced by members of U.S. Congress and by 2020 presidential candidates. In this section, the most widely known and promising plans that have gained traction and media coverage in recent months are highlighted.63
Ensuring Health Care Access and Affordable Coverage For African Americans
- The single payer and public option insurance plans outlined in this report were developed in a way to help fill coverage gaps and get as many people insured as possible. The plans aim to do this by emphasizing affordability—addressing the high cost of insurance premiums and limiting out-of-pocket costs, including surprise medical bills, prescription drugs, and fees for direct health care …