In Health, Not All Are Equal

Co-authored by: John Lumpkin, MD, MPH, and Tunde Sotunde, MD, MBA, FAAP

For many of us, the world we live in today is drastically different from what we knew just a few months ago. It seems hard to remember what it was like when we could come and go as we please, feel safe when out in public, or simply wake up without considering the health risks we might face that day. And though it may feel like day-to-day life has just recently become more stressful and taxing, for many others, life has been that way our entire lives.

The civil unrest we’ve seen since the killing of George Floyd has shined a spotlight on the systemic racism that has impacted Black lives since before the founding of our nation. Inequity and injustice have added strain and tension to Black American lives for centuries. What we are seeing today is emotionally gut-wrenching and mentally exhausting. But there is also a physical price to pay for racial inequity. Beyond the degradation of unspoken social hierarchy and the burden of insurmountable economic barriers, there is also a great divide when it comes to health.

People of color have historically been at a health and well-being disadvantage that cannot plausibly be explained away by genetics and heredity. This disadvantage is directly correlated to the systemic racism that underpins American society. As designed and executed, this system fails to provide, even inhibits, people of color from living a long and healthy life.

And when you layer in COVID-19, Black Americans are facing two pandemics that are inextricably linked. In fact, current data shows that Black Americans are dying of COVID-19 at three times the rate of White people. In our state, Black North Carolinians account for 34 percent of deaths due to COVID-19 despite making up just 22 percent of the state’s total population of 10.5 million. COVID-19 thrives in all conditions that Black people have historically had a higher likelihood of experiencing due to inequities. Put simply, COVID-19 has amplified the racial divide in the health of our nation.

Thus, if we truly desire a free, healthy and prosperous society, those that have been denied true equal rights must not only have access to these rights, but also access to an affordable, equitable and culturally competent health care system. As we become the model for transforming health, Blue Cross NC will be intentional about how we drive change. As a health insurance company, we can’t erase America’s painful history of race relations. But pursuing our mission to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities can help to address health inequities and build a pathway to a more just and healthy society – for everyone.

Health inequities are a threat to all of us, regardless of race or ethnicity. Our nation, our state and our own communities must stand on a foundation of equity and justice – in health and beyond. At Blue Cross NC, we answer to our mission every day. We view our business through the lens of making our state – and by extension, our nation – a better place to live. The impacts of COVID-19 and social injustice have only heightened the urgency of our work.

And while we are committed to finding solutions, we cannot do it alone. It’s important for the health care and business communities across our state to also take steps to find and implement solutions.

We have started by:

1. Explicitly acknowledging that race and racism factor into health care
2. Making Community Health one of our strategic pillars and creating a specialized team, grounded in a framework that addresses structural racism and equity, to address drivers of health - with an understanding of past and present policies such as redlining, voter suppression, and disinvestment in low-income communities
3. Convening a Racial Equity Taskforce comprised of diverse leaders across the organization that will drive immediate and deliberate enterprise efforts to facilitate change
4. Partnering with non-profits who have a stake within communities and supporting them as they increase their capacity and broaden their reach
5. Continued efforts by our longstanding Community Diversity and Engagement team focused on corporate social responsibility, employee community volunteering, and diversity-driven community-based organization investments

The last few months have confirmed that our nation, our state and our company have so much more work to do in this effort, but it’s our hope that you will join us in improving health and well-being – for everyone.