Black people make up 1.5% of Utah’s population, making Utah one of only five states in America to have 2% or less of its population identifying as Black. Can a lack of ethnic exposure affect the quality health care offered to people of color? The rest of the United States says yes.
Life expectancy in the Black community is four years lower than white people, and people of color are less likely to be uninsured (alongside low-income individuals). The disparity in insurance is due to the fact that many people of color live in low-income areas and cannot afford health insurance.
The total of uninsured people of color were higher in states that have not expanded Medicaid compared to those that have, but even then, insurance is still out of reach for some. However, studies would conclude that it is not just insurance availability that affects Black health.
The Proceedings of the National Academies of Science found that 40% of medical students believed “black people’s skin is thicker than white people’s” and that “black people are not as sensitive to pain,” meaning that 40% of potential doctors are not treating Black people correctly or appropriately. This is a negative, harmful stereotype created many years ago to excuse the abuse of Black people that is still somehow continued today.
Why does this affect health care in Utah? A report released by the Utah Department of Health and Office of Health Disparities found that health disparities exist in 71% of the health and public health measures of wellbeing, with the smallest areas in Utah holding the largest disparities.
Cities like Provo, Salt Lake and West Valley City have the highest concentration of health disparities in Utah and are arguably some of the most expensive cities to live in in Utah, especially as a student.
In order to reduce health disparities, it is vital that student health professionals are trained correctly in diagnosing and treating diseases. There has to be something wrong with the education system if 40% of students believe Black people feel less pain - this needs to be addressed. Simply teaching what an array of diseases and illnesses look like on black, white, asian, hispanic, etc. skin will provide them with the training they need to make the correct and proper diagnoses as not everything looks the same on different skin.
Furthermore, creating more affordable and effective ways to have health coverage is vital for those in low-income neighborhoods. If one can barely afford insurance, they definitely cannot afford a full-priced medical bill. It almost makes no sense. Lack of health coverage could further explain why there are health disparities, simply because people are too afraid to go to a doctor and potentially seek treatment because of the costs, causing people to die or become extremely sick by something that could have been prevented.
In the 21st century, there should be no such thing as no health care. It is a human right as recognized in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. If pharmaceutical companies are not willing to lower their extreme costs, then more government intervention needs to happen.
More than 1 million Americans with diabetes either ration their insulin or can’t have any because they can’t afford it. This is unacceptable. Insulin costs as little as $6 to make, yet pharmaceutical companies are charging upwards of $300 — a 600% increase in price.
America cannot continue to take advantage of people for profit. We are not objects.
Rebecca Duffy is a sociology student at Brigham Young University.