It Doesn't Take a Brain Surgeon to Notice Health Disparities

Pop quiz: Which of the following groups of people with brain tumors are most likely to be referred to a high-volume hospital specializing in neurosurgery: whites, blacks, Hispanics or low-income Americans?

To anyone who knows anything about poverty in America, the answer's obvious. According to a new Johns Hopkins study, white patients enjoy much more frequent referrals to high-volume hospitals — those centers that conduct at least 50 brain tumor surgeries each year — than other racial, ethnic or economically-disadvantaged groups.

From 2000 to 2005, for example, "hispanics were half as likely as white counterparts" to receive treatment at specialty centers. People living below the poverty line faced similar discrimination; compared to those making $60,000 a year or more, low-income individuals were 43 percent less likely to be admitted to high-volume hospitals. And the disparities are only worsening with time.

While the researchers aren't positive that physician bias has led to these discrepancies — after all, "patient preference or another reason might be responsible" — the disturbing fact still remains that minority groups aren't getting the treatment they need.

"Unfortunately, it looks like we're still missing the mark for minority patients," remarked Afredo Quinones-Hinojosa, senior author of the study and associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "What we've found really goes against the inherent desire to treat every patient equally.”

Preferential treatment for rich, white Americans in our health care systems? Exclusion of minority, poverty-afflicted groups from the benefits of first-class medical care? These ideas aren't new, and studies proving their validity are only increasing as information becomes more readily available. We know that poor LGBT seniors face discriminatory health care practices. We know that poor women are more likely to die from completely preventable cancer. We know that for every 100,000 births in America, 86 African-American mothers will die from delivery problems while the national average for maternal deaths is just 13.3. All of these studies are from the past month alone.

Until we can separate the long threads of racism and anti-poor bias from the tapestry that is American culture, we'll never find see true equality in health care. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that out.

Photo credit: dierk schaefer