Healthcare Inequality

Healthcare disparities are the differences in physical and mental health and the accessibility of affordable, quality healthcare that arise from broader social, economic, or environmental inequalities. For example, research shows that Black women are up to four times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy-related cause. Additionally, in 2017, 10% of Hispanics reported having fair or poor health compared with 8.3% of non-Hispanic whites. Also, members of the LGBTQ+ community are 11% more likely to experience psychological distress. And finally, across all states, 5.1% of — or 3.9 million — students don't have health insurance coverage.

Thus, it is pivotal to push for legislation that decreases healthcare costs across the country, improves general healthcare quality (especially in rural, urban, and low-income areas), and eventually achieves universal health insurance coverage.