Health Care has a Bias Problem: Here's How to Fix It

11/15/19 • 20 min

Bias in medicine –based on race and sex – is a well-documented problem. It’s a problem because the health care system has historically marginalized the medical concerns of people of color and women, which has led to worse health outcomes.

On the latest episode of The Dose, host Shanoor Seervai discusses ways to tackle bias in health care with Ann-Gel Palermo, who works on diversity and inclusion at New York’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Joia Crear-Perry, who founded the National Birth Equity Birth Collaborative to address racial disparities in health care.

They explain that bias is not just a concern at the individual provider level; it’s actually baked into the system, starting in medical school. While fundamental change will be an uphill battle, they say, the fight is critical to ensuring that all patients are treated fairly when they seek care.

Previous Episode

What We’re Talking About When We Talk About Medicare For All

Many Americans are worried about how they will afford care if they get really sick, and policymakers are responding to this concern with a whole range of complicated policies. Are you confused about what these policies mean for you, your family, and the health system in general?

You’re not alone, so on this episode of The Dose, host Shanoor Seervai sits down with the Commonwealth Fund’s Sara Collins to break down what she learned in her latest survey on American’s views about health care.

They discuss how Medicare for All, and other Democratic proposals, would change the health system; they also talk about open enrollment, an ongoing court case on the future of the Affordable Care Act, and much more.

What do you think is the best way to fix our health care system? Send us an email on [email protected].

Next Episode

How Medicaid Can Help Solve America’s Maternal Mortality Crisis

The number of women who die in the U.S. because of complications related to pregnancy is shockingly high – nearly 30 deaths for every 100,000 births each year. But some women die at higher rates than others: the maternal mortality rate for black women is three to four times higher than it is for white women.

On this episode of The Dose, the Commonwealth Fund’s Laurie Zephyrin, M.D., and Akeiisa Coleman talk about one way to address this crisis: Medicaid, which pays for nearly half the 4 million births in the U.S. each year. States have a real opportunity, they say, to take innovative steps to improve the care pregnant women and new mothers receive through their Medicaid programs.