The African American faces a variety of challenges in terms of access to healthcare services. Compared to Caucasian Americans, they face a higher risk of being diagnosed with illnesses such as stroke, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, pneumonia, and HIV/AIDS. The health disparities are evidenced by higher disease incidences among blacks compared to whites in similar age groups. For instance, 10% of blacks aged between 35-49 years are diagnosed with diabetes compared to whites in the same age group (Pfizer, 2021). In addition, the incidence of stroke among blacks aged 18 to 34 years is 0.7% compared to 0.4% for whites in the same age group (Pfizer, 2021). The factors that contribute to the aforementioned disparity include poverty, obesity, inactive lifestyle, unemployment, and the inability to afford healthcare services. As a result, the mortality and morbidity rate among African Americans is high as the population is disproportionately affected by diseases. If the disparity is not addressed, the increased incidence of disease will further limit the people’s ability to provide for their families, which will worsen poverty and increase susceptibility to disease.
Health disparities in the African American community can be addressed by increasing access to affordable healthcare services. A universal coverage plan is the most effective way of ensuring affected individuals get help as soon as they need it. The first step involves the introduction of legislative policies designed to address racism, discrimination bias, and other systemic challenges in the healthcare system. In addition, evidence-based tools must be applied to deal with health challenges that go beyond insurance coverage. The proposed policies must evaluate and weigh the impact of social determinants and how they impact the community’s wellbeing (Taylor, 2019). The legislative proposals must expand access to health insurance, guarantee comprehensive benefits and protect vulnerable individuals from discrimination. In addition, it is essential to preserve coverage for pre-existing and chronic conditions through the codification of protections designed to ensure continued access to care. Finally, it is vital to protect Medicaid’s integrity by stopping states from applying restrictive stipulations on coverage for individuals, such as employment requirements (Taylor, 2019). Legislation is the best course for advocacy because the implemented changes are enshrined in the law, which protects the changes through the enforcement of penalties to parties that contravene the outlined stipulations. This ensures longevity and guarantees adherence to the implemented policies.
The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased healthcare access for millions of Americans. Out of the approximately 20 million individuals who gained access to healthcare services, 2.8 million are African American (Taylor, 2019). This helped reduce the disparity in health care access among blacks.
A number of states have implemented legislative measures aimed at addressing health disparities among communities in America. Between 2015 and 2016, lawmakers evaluated approximately 150 bills relating to health disparities (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2017). For instance, in 2015, Maryland legislators demanded that the office of Minority Health and Health Disparities outline the relevant courses that each health occupation board must consider among health workers (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2017). These included linguistic competency, health literacy, and health disparity which increased health professionals’ cultural competency as they helped African American community members gain access to quality healthcare.
The African American community is perhaps the most important stakeholder. This is because blacks are burdened by poor health as a result of systemic barriers that impede access to quality healthcare. They will support the proposed legislative changes because improved health allows members of the community to be productive, which allows them to create wealth and lead decent lives.
A state legislator representing a district primarily composed of African Americans is likely to support proposals designed to address healthcare disparities. This is because they must address the needs of the people they represent and ensure that their fundamental right to access quality healthcare is preserved.
The state legislature is likely to oppose the proposals aimed at addressing healthcare disparities among African Americans. This is because the proposals may be seen as an attempt to favor one racial group at the expense of others. Legislators who feel that the people they represent may have limited access to services as a result of the expansion of access to black communities may oppose the proposals. In addition, the financial implications may necessitate the redistribution of resources from other sectors. The resultant shift in financial spending may be opposed by legislators who feel that education or security are more important areas compared to health.
Private health insurers are likely to oppose the legislative proposals because strengthening Medicaid may deny them access to a potential patient market. The potential loss in revenue may prompt these organizations to oppose proposals that make government-run health programs more attractive to the African American community.
Health disparities contribute significantly to the economic challenges in America today. It is estimated that racial differences in premature death cost between 236.1 to 243.1 billion dollars every year (Nanney et al., 2019). A review of Minnesota’s health system revealed that improved health outcomes for minority groups would allow the state to gain an extra 1.226 billion dollars in economic activity (Nanney et al., 2019). This is because people from minority groups would spend less time recovering from illnesses that can be prevented through the provision of quality healthcare services. It was further estimated that ensuring that minorities had more time to work would earn the state an additional 247.43 million dollars in revenue (Nanney et al., 2019). Minnesota’s performance serves as proof of the financial benefits that can be gained by addressing healthcare disparities in the U.S.
The first step the legislator will take is to sponsor the proposed bill. It will then be designated to a committee for study, after which it is included in the calendar for debate, voting, and amendment. In the event the bill passes the simple majority, it will be transferred to the Senate, where it will be appropriated to another committee that assesses its validity and releases it for debate and voting if it meets specific criteria. It should be noted that if changes are made by the Senate, the bill must be re-submitted to the House for concurrence. It will then return to the Senate and the House for final approval before being vetoed or signed into law by the President.
The Christian worldview supports the provision of Christ-centered care, which emphasizes the need to love one’s neighbor. Legislative advocacy must therefore be premised on the fact that human beings have dignity and are part of a community that shares profound connections regardless of race, gender, culture, beliefs, or sexual orientation. Therefore, caring for a neighbor’s health is based on the belief that all of humanity is inextricably connected. Solidarity emphasizes each individual’s value and contribution to the community. As such, every life must be protected through the provision of quality and accessible healthcare.
References
Nanney, M. S., Myers, S. L., Xu, M., Kent, K., Durfee, T., & Allen, M. L. (2019). The economic benefits of reducing racial disparities in health: The case of Minnesota. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(5).
National Conference of State Legislatures. (2017). Health care state approaches to reducing health disparities. National Conference of State Legislatures.
Pfizer. (2021). Health disparities among African-Americans. Pfizer. Web.
Taylor, J. (2019). Racism, inequality, and health care for African Americans. The Century Foundation.