Health care system disparities in the U.S. differ vastly for Black and Hispanic people compared to white people, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study released Thursday. Compared within New England, Connecticut has more severe racial and ethnic disparities.
Black people in Connecticut had among the best health care compared to 39 states where data was available — ranking fifth out of 39. But within that data, racial gaps are huge in Connecticut and the health system performed the worst for Black people in the state.
People who are Black were over two times more likely than white people to die before the age of 75 from causes that are treatable. Black people, aged 65 and older, made nearly double the potentially avoidable ER visits compared to white people, and had nearly double the hospital readmission rate within 30 days. Over three times more Black babies died than white babies.
In Connecticut, 16% percent of the Hispanic population was uninsured, compared to 4% of the state’s white population.
For Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, health outcomes were among the best compared to 31 states where data was available.
White people living in Connecticut overall had some of the best health outcomes in the nation — ranking fourth.
