LANSING – National experts raised the alarm at the state Capitol yesterday over what they called growing and widespread disparity in the delivery of quality health care to minorities. According to Gary Puckrein, president and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum of Washington, D.C., lifestyle choices are not the primary reason minority groups in Michigan and nationwide suffer in relatively greater numbers from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. "Fundamentally, the American health care system is not built to provide quality health care to a diverse population," Puckrein said.
"It is clear that African Americans and other minorities suffer disproportionately from many diseases because they are treated differently when it comes to health insurance and prescription drug coverage," said Rep. Brenda Clack (D-Flint), who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus. "We need to address this issue by ensuring that everyone has equal access to treatment and care."
Rep. Lee Gonzales (D-Flint Township) addressed the problem by pointing out that "the key to driving down health care costs for everyone is to provide equal access for all," Gonzales said. "When our growing minority population has difficulty getting access to the best medicine or treatment available, they get sicker, and everyone pays the price."
The Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI), an independent, nonprofit group providing education, research and advocacy on ending health disparities, reports that Michigan patients in Medicaid HMO health plans generally have a harder time getting prescription medications than patients with commercial insurance. A greater portion of the state's African-American population (30 percent) is on Medicaid than the white population (nine percent), according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
"These findings reveal one of the root causes of health disparities in Michigan," said Dr. Khan Nedd, chairman of the GRAAHI Board of Directors. "With significant numbers of minority populations receiving government-provided health care, disparities get built into the health care system, resulting in differences in health outcomes."