To the editor.

Imagine going into a hospital and not getting the same care as everyone else. Sadly this is the
reality for many. In the United States and other countries many people are deprived of proper
medical care because of what they look like or the amount of money they have. In the United
States healthcare system where everyone is supposed to be being treated equally many are
not. I want to tell you about this because everyone deserves equal access and treatment when
seeking medical attention. On one hand you have people of low income or who do not have
health insurance. Oftentimes these people do not seek medical care until it is too late because
they are concerned about costs. According to the PEW research center 83% of Americans say
that cost makes quality care unaffordable of these people 57% are African American.

On the other hand you have people who are afraid to seek medical attention because of their
race and their concern for being treated differently than everybody else. Some doctors believe
that African American patients are only seeking pain medication. In an article by Monique
Tello, MD, MPH of Harvard Health Publishing one woman said “ She had a painful medical
condition. The emergency room staff not only did not treat her pain, but she recounted: “They
treated me like I was trying to play them, like I was just trying to get pain meds out of them. They
didn’t try to make any diagnosis or help me at all. They couldn’t get rid of me fast enough.''There
was nothing in her history to suggest that she was seeking pain medication. She is a
middle-aged, churchgoing lady who has never had issues with substance abuse. Eventually,
she received a diagnosis and appropriate care somewhere else.” There has been many other
people that have been treated this way. According to an Article by Medical News today much of
this bias is implicit bias coming from views that many providers do not realize they have.
Doctors take an oath to treat all patients equally and with respect but their judgment is often
clouded by bias and pre-disposed judgments.

I don't think there's a way to entirely remove racial bias and cost difficulties from the health care
system but I think there can be adjustments made to lessen the effects of racial bias and cost
difficulties. I think states that have not yet implemented the Affordable Care Act need to. I also
think the coverage gap that many fall in needs to be filled by some sort of health care program.
This gap is caused by people making too much to qualify for medicaid and not enough to qualify
for premium tax credits under marketplace plans. Many Americans fall directly into this
coverage gap making it very difficult for them to afford any type of health care. To lessen the
racial biases in the healthcare system proper training needs be implemented and when a care
provider shows a racial bias they should not be punished instead they should have to complete
a short program addressing the problems there bias and finding ways to remove that bias from
there work place. It would also be important to try and teach about racial bias and how it
negatively impacts the health care system during medical school. I call for justice for those who
do not receive proper medical care because of race or income.