African American

 

“I don’t want to have to worry about getting into an emergency because my care won’t be covered by insurance.”

Session Infographic (PDF)

Overview

• Community Partner: Greater Mount Sinai of Compton
• Location: Compton, CA
• Date: February 28, 2024
• Population: African American Medi-Cal members

What We Heard

• Being heard, seen, listened to, validated, and respected in interactions with health care providers
• Shared racial/cultural identity in health care provider interactions
• Need for mental health services for the African American community
• Limited dental benefits and services
• Sharing costs not covered by health insurance
• Navigating health plan changes
• Being able to receive care at high-quality facilities

Population of Focus

Research shows that African American Californians are among the most likely groups to report that they always make their health a priority. However, African American Californians experience disparities in care and outcomes despite having higher health insurance coverage rates (93 percent) than the state average.

For example, the life expectancy at birth for African American Californians is five years shorter than the state average and the lowest life expectancy of all racial and ethnic groups. Additionally, African American Californians have the highest rates of new colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer cases, and the highest death rates for breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer. Between 2011 and 2017, African American Californians were more than twice as likely as White Californians to undergo amputations related to diabetes — an outcome avoidable with better access to care and better disease management. Additionally, despite impressive reductions in maternal mortality for all racial/ethnic groups in California, African American mothers/birthing people are four to six times as likely to die from pregnancy/birth-related causes and twice as likely to suffer a maternal morbidity (such as hemorrhage and infection) than those in all other racial/ethnic groups.

The 2023 CHCF California Health Policy Survey found nearly 7 in 10 African Americans Californians (69 percent) experienced negative interactions during health care visits (e.g., having a provider assume something about them without asking, having a provider talk down to them or not treat them with respect), compared to 54 percent of Californians overall. Two-thirds (66 percent) of African American Californians report researching a health condition or concern before meeting with a health care provider, and more than one-third (35 percent) say they have tailored their speech and/or behavior to make a provider feel at ease.