In recognition of National Minority Health Month the Raising Wisconsin Women’s Voices blog would like to pay health care reform its due thanks for taking much needed steps in the right direction to ending disparities in health care.
Racial and ethnic minorities face barriers in accessing health care, have more adverse health outcomes compared to whites, and face disparities in the care they receive. Black women faced a 35% higher breast cancer mortality rate between 2000 and 2004. That’s almost 9 more deaths from breast cancer per 100,000 than white women.
Further, minorities as a whole have a higher prevalence of preventable diseases and conditions than whites – such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
The health care law allows young adults to stay on their parent’s health insurance until their 26th birthday. Thanks to this provision 1.3 million minority young adults now have health insurance including 763,000 Latinos, 410,000 Blacks, 97,000 Asian Americans and 29,000 American Indian/Alaskan. This new will undoubtedly improve health outcomes for minority young adults.
Additionally, health care reform requires more consistent and specific ways to report race, ethnicity, sex, primary language and disability status to improve the data standards and aide in identifying and working to end disparities. Health care reform is making a real difference in real American’s lives and we are thankful to offer such great news at the start of National Minority Health Month.
This month will also mark the launch of the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. The report notes an alarming 33 year difference between the longest living and shortest living racial and ethnic groups in the Unites States. To learn more about minority health care concerns and how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will help and what you can do in your community, link here. Or, share your story on how health care reform has helped you and your family, here.