Biden’s Plans towards Racial Disparities in Healthcare

JENNIFER JOHN BRITTO – It can be quite easy to take healthcare for granted as a part of a somewhat privileged community, but it is important to acknowledge that the quality of healthcare—just like the quality of many other aspects of life—changes drastically, in a manner directly proportional to the privilege an individual has. When speaking of privilege, the word itself tends to be a broad umbrella under which many forms of favoritism fall. However, the one form of bias that consistently has the greatest negative impact on those who experience it (particularly in healthcare) has been and continues to be racial prejudice.

Race tends to be an unfortunate indicator of who receives priority in healthcare, and that is an issue that has been pushed into the spotlight over the last year and a half due to the coronavirus pandemic. POCs are often underrepresented in positions of power, but comprise a disproportionately large portion of those who have faced the harshest consequences as a result of the disease. It has become distinct enough to catch the eye of governing officials— for instance, Senator Susan Webber of Montana has expressed her concern for the unequal treatment of Native Americans. Although they compose only 7% of the total population in Montana, they represent 19% of the state’s coronavirus cases and 32% of corona-related deaths— a rate three to four times higher than the proportional expectation. Furthermore, in a nationwide poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation Fund, it was found that families of color are more likely to have lost their job or have a reduced income due to the pandemic; not only are POCs more likely to be afflicted by the disease, they are also more likely to face the economic fallout.

One major contribution to healthcare inequality is healthcare professionals’ implicit racial biases. Primary care providers’ consistent exposure to prevalent cultural stereotypes can unconsciously (or consciously) play a role in how they treat patients. For example, pain tolerance— while it seems like a matter where race is not factored in, it constantly is. In a study published by PubMed that analyzed opioid prescription practices for patients in the emergency department, it was found that Hispanic and Black patients were 7 times less likely to be prescribed pain medications in comparison to white patients with a comparable injury. That heavily implies that attending physicians took race and/or ethnicity into account when deciding treatment plans for patients, a practice that has no scientific basis. Due to the lack of supporting evidence to validate the idea that certain ethnic groups can tolerate more pain, the results can be assumed to be at least partially caused by physician bias. Fear of such differential treatment often drives POCs to seek treatment from POC healthcare professionals, as indicated in a study conducted by the University of Michigan’s Dr. Ryan Huetro. Minority doctors tend to have a better cultural understanding of their patients, and as a result less of an implicit bias.

With the start of a new presidency, there is hope that more attention is given to achieving healthcare equality; the recently inaugurated President Biden has already stated that he wishes to address racial inequalities within the healthcare system. While previous presidents have made steps towards healthcare equality, there is always more to be done. For example, Obama took action to moderate healthcare inequality through the Affordable Care Act, which resulted in a dramatic increase in insurance coverage and access to medical care. However, Obama faced criticism for not explicitly discussing the issue of racial disparities in healthcare with the public. President Biden’s vocalization of the issue has been seen as progress in the right direction, as he has expressed the desire to not only take action but also publicly discuss the racially prejudiced roots of healthcare inequality. 

Biden has already made strides that previous presidents have rarely dared to by creating one of the most diverse Cabinets in history. Minority groups such as Native Americans, Latinos, and Black Americans now have members where they were previously underrepresented, giving formerly silenced groups a voice with which to spread awareness of issues within their communities. Furthermore, Biden did not stop with simply the Cabinet. To further represent communities of color in healthcare, Biden has appointed the first Latino to lead the Department of Health and Human Services— California’s Attorney General, Xavier Becerra. He has also created a Covid-19 equity task force with the purpose of ensuring that resources and knowledge regarding the pandemic are fair and equally accessible to everyone, regardless of his/her ethnic background.

In conclusion, the recognition of racial inequality in healthcare as a serious issue is a bright ray of hope in the desolate state of the healthcare industry that has been brought about by the pandemic. An increase in diversity in both administrative and healthcare sectors is necessary for racial inequality to be mitigated, and the Biden administration has taken many steps towards achieving that goal. There have been drastic changes in leadership that will hopefully lend more recognition towards minority communities, and those changes serve as harbingers of the industry reinvention that is sure to come with a fresh face in the Oval Office.

Copy Editor: Alina Baiju

Photography Source: Shweta Mistry