A new report released Thursday says Hispanic Texans experience the most severe inequalities in health care compared to Hispanics living in other states. This study measures racial and ethnic disparities in the nation's health care system.
Meanwhile, Asian Americans living in Texas have better access to quality health care and experience positive outcomes across races and ethnicities, ranking in the 74th percentile among Asian Americans nationally. is ranked.
White Texans rank in the 64th percentile among the same population nationally. In stark contrast, Black and Hispanic residents have the worst health care system performance in the nation.
Texas ranks 44th out of 47 states in the report on health care system performance for Hispanics. For Black residents, Texas ranks 32nd out of 39 states in her calculated health care system performance.
Periodic research by the Commonwealth Fund, a national independent healthcare research firm, shows that deep racial and ethnic disparities in health care access, quality, and outcomes persist across the United States, and that racial disparities in premature death are increasing. It turned out to be significant.
The 2024 Disparities Report provides a comprehensive analysis of how well the health care system is working for people in each state by assessing racial and ethnic disparities in health care and care.
The Commonwealth Fund uses 25 measures to evaluate states on health care access, quality, service utilization, and health outcomes for Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. using.
“Very simply, and on average, our report shows that disparities exist in every state in our country, even in states with strong health care systems overall. , racial and ethnic health disparities can be dramatic,” said Commonwealth Fund President Joseph Betancourt.
Betancourt believes that decades of policy choices and inequitable investments in health care systems at the federal, state, and local levels have discriminatively impacted people of color, resulting in poorer health outcomes than white Americans. He said there was.
Commonwealth Fund senior scientist David Radley said the long-standing inequalities found in the study were intertwined with people's socio-economic status.
Texas is one of several states in the Southwest and mountain regions, including New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, where early mortality rates for Hispanics are higher than those for Hispanics. The early mortality rate for white residents is closer to that of other regions of the United States. Report found.
Nationally, Hispanics generally have lower rates of premature death than blacks and whites, despite having higher uninsured rates and less access to health care.
Researchers noted that the U.S. Hispanic population is highly diverse, and access to health care and outcomes may vary, particularly by immigration status.
Lower premature mortality rates may also be due to the Hispanic population being younger and having lower rates of risky health behaviors, such as smoking, the report explains.
Nevertheless, recent studies have shown that mortality and chronic disease prevalence among the Hispanic population have increased over time.
A report released this month by the Episcopal Health Foundation, a Texas nonprofit that fights health disparities, found that there are preventable health disparities between people of color and low-income people in Texas. .
Black and Hispanic children are more likely to grow up in areas with higher levels of poverty, and families with lower incomes are less likely to say they are healthy, the report said. These families are more likely to be uninsured and have higher rates of diabetes and obesity, the report found.
Disparities in health outcomes in Texas' 254 counties are driving up health care costs and reducing work productivity across the state, costing the state's economy more than $7 billion a year, according to the report. It is said that it is covered.
Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, or Alaska Natives are less likely than other groups to have health insurance, are more likely to delay care due to cost, and are more likely to incur medical debt. A study by the Commonwealth Fund revealed that.
In most states, Black people and American Indian or Alaska Native people are more likely to die prematurely from diseases that are treatable if they have timely access to quality health care, the report found.
“Health care system performance is particularly poor for Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations, which means these groups have more problems accessing care, the quality of care they receive is lower, and many It means that the state has worse health outcomes compared to white people,” Arnab said. Mr. Shah is a senior fellow at the Commonwealth Fund.
Racial and ethnic health disparities can be significant even in states that have historically performed well in Commonwealth Fund state rankings.
Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Connecticut stand out in the report for their relatively strong performance across all racial and ethnic groups.
However, the report found that these states still have significant health disparities between white and non-white residents in terms of access to care, the quality of care people receive, and health outcomes.
Closing racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes requires strong policy solutions, said Laurie Zephirin, senior vice president at the Commonwealth Fund.
“This report reveals the persistent disparities that people of color experience in accessing and receiving quality health care across the United States. We must do better. We can start by eradicating the racial and ethnic bias and inequity that permeates our health care system to ensure everyone has access to the care and coverage they need. We need that,” Zephirin said.
Health inequities are caused by a variety of factors, but the majority are rooted in past and current policies at the federal, state, and local levels, a Commonwealth Fund study found.
The report's authors suggest pursuing four broad policy goals to build an equitable health system. Strengthening primary care. Reduce administrative burden for patients and healthcare providers.investment in social services
“Insurance coverage is a key part of this issue,” Zephirin said. “But in terms of making sure everyone has access to health care, this is a top priority.”
Texas is one of 10 states that has not yet expanded Medicaid coverage to its residents, a policy decision that health experts say has led to poorer outcomes for Texans, especially people of color. Zephirin said.
