Connecticut’s Health Care System: A Race to Address the Disparities

In the US, there are significant disparities in the health care system between Black and Hispanic people compared to white people, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study. The study revealed that Connecticut had more severe racial and ethnic disparities in health care than many other states.

Black individuals in Connecticut were found to have among the best health care compared to 39 other states, ranking 5 out of 39. However, within the state, racial gaps were significant, with Black people having the worst possible health outcomes. Black individuals in Connecticut were over two times more likely than white individuals to die before the age of 75 from treatable causes. Additionally, Black people aged 65 and older had nearly double the rate of potentially avoidable ER visits and hospital readmissions within 30 days. Furthermore, Black babies in Connecticut were over three times more likely to die than white babies.

The study also found that Hispanic individuals in Connecticut were uninsured at a higher rate than any other race or ethnic group – 16% compared to only 4% of the white population. On the other hand, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders had some of the best health outcomes in Connecticut compared to other states where data was available.

Overall, white people in Connecticut had some of the best health outcomes nationally, ranking fourth. This highlights the stark disparities that exist within the health care system in Connecticut and serves as a call to action for addressing these inequities.