Race and Health

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Latest Morning Briefing Stories

These Patients Had to Lobby for Correct Diabetes Diagnoses. Was Their Race a Reason?

KFF Health News Original

Adults who develop one autoimmune form of diabetes are often misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Those wrong diagnoses make it harder to get the appropriate medications and technology to manage their blood sugar. Many Black patients wonder if their race plays a role.

Many People of Color Worry Good Health Care Is Tied to Their Appearance

KFF Health News Original

Many people from racial and ethnic minority groups brace themselves for insults and judgments before medical appointments, according to a new survey of patients that reaffirms the prevalence of racial discrimination in the U.S. health system.

Backlash to Affirmative Action Hits Pioneering Maternal Health Program for Black Women

KFF Health News Original

A San Francisco program offers a $1,000-a-month stipend for pregnant Black and Pacific Islander women, part of an effort to address severe racial disparities in maternal health. But conservative groups have sued to shut down the Abundant Birth Project, part of a national backlash against affirmative action in health care.

US to Cover HIV Prevention Drugs for Older Americans to Stem Spread of the Virus

KFF Health News Original

The government has proposed that Medicare fully cover preexposure prophylaxis drugs that prevent HIV, a change that could help America catch up with nations in Europe and Africa that are on track to end new infections decades before the U.S. under its current approach.

For People With Sickle Cell Disease, ERs Can Mean Life-Threatening Waits

KFF Health News Original

When patients with sickle cell disease have a health crisis — crescent-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow — their condition can quickly lead to a fatal stroke or infection. But, despite efforts to educate doctors, research shows that patients are waiting hours in ERs and are often denied pain medication.

PrEP, a Key HIV Prevention Tool, Isn’t Reaching Black Women

KFF Health News Original

New HIV infections occur disproportionately among Black women, but exclusionary marketing, fewer treatment options, and provider wariness have limited uptake of preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, drugs, which reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

Mothers of Color Can’t See if Providers Have a History of Mistreatment. Why Not?

KFF Health News Original

Many women, especially Black women, have reported discrimination in maternity care, but expectant mothers lack tools to see where this happens. Funding and regulations to measure disparities have been slow in arriving, but some innovators are trying to fill the void.

New Medicare Advantage Plans Tailor Offerings to Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+

KFF Health News Original

As more seniors opt for Medicare Advantage, a few small insurers have begun offering plans that provide culturally targeted benefits for cohorts including Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+ people. The approach, policy researchers say, has potential and perils.

Nuevos planes de Medicare Advantage adaptan ofertas para asiáticos, latinos y LGTBQ+

KFF Health News Original

A medida que Medicare Advantage gana popularidad entre los adultos mayores, tres compañías del sur de California están lanzando nuevos planes que se enfocan en comunidades culturales y étnicas, con ofertas especiales y profesionales que hablan su idioma nativo.

Californians Headed to HBCUs in the South Prepare for College Under Abortion Bans

KFF Health News Original

As high school graduates prepare to leave states like California that protect abortion rights for historically Black colleges in states where abortion is banned, they’re getting ready to safeguard their reproductive health during college.