A new report by the Commonwealth Fund, a national health care advocacy organization, has shed light on significant disparities in health outcomes between white and nonwhite individuals in the United States. The study examined the state of health and health care across racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., including Arizona, where these disparities are particularly pronounced.
In Arizona, Native Americans tend to experience worse outcomes than white people. According to Radley, there is a significant gap between the healthcare experience of white people and American Indians in the state. This disparity is larger than in other states in the Southwest, such as Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
Native Americans in Arizona have higher mortality rates from treatable conditions compared to other racial or ethnic groups in the state. The mortality rates for Native Americans in Arizona are almost three times higher than for white people. Although mortality rates are also higher for Black and Hispanic individuals, the gaps between these groups and white individuals are not as substantial as those between Native Americans and white individuals.
This year’s report is the first to include data on deaths from COVID-19, which is considered a preventable disease. It further underscores the health disparities faced by marginalized communities, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions to address these inequities in health care access and outcomes.
The Commonwealth Fund’s report highlights that despite efforts to improve healthcare access and outcomes across racial lines, significant disparities still exist between different groups in America. These disparities are even more evident in some states like Arizona.
The authors of this report call for policy changes that target specific groups with unique needs to improve their overall health outcomes.
Overall, this research emphasizes that addressing health disparities must be an ongoing effort if we want to ensure that everyone has equal access to high-quality healthcare regardless of their race or ethnicity.
