Tag Archive for "health disparities"

Posts Tagged health disparities

By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 9 years ago

New study finds trans and gender non-conforming people face greater health risks

A new study from Indiana University confirmed previous research suggesting that transgender or gender non-conforming people are at greater risk for poor health outcomes than the general population.

By Maya Dusenbery • 10 years ago

Chart of the Day: Life expectancy for poor US women is declining

According to a new analysis from the Brookings Institute, the life expectancy gap between the rich and the poor in the US is growing, especially among women.

Comparing life expectancy at age 55 between folks born in 1920 vs. 1940 found that men, overall, have gained an additional five years — with the richest men gaining six years and the poorest gaining less than two. On average, women still live longer than men, but their life expectancy has increased by less than one year overall during this time. While the richest women have gained a few years, life expectancy among the poorest 40 percent has actually declined from the previous generation. The WSJ sums it up in the chart above.

According to a new analysis from the Brookings Institute, the life expectancy gap between the rich and the poor in the US is growing, especially among women.

Comparing life expectancy at age 55 between folks born in 1920 ...

By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 11 years ago

Black Americans and single mothers disproportionately affected by states refusing to expand Medicaid

A New York Times analysis has found that the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care reform legislation, will leave out two thirds of poor black folks and single mothers, and more than half of uninsured low-wage workers:

Because they live in states largely controlled by Republicans that have declined to participate in a vast expansion of Medicaid, the medical insurance program for the poor, they are among the eight million Americans who are impoverished, uninsured and ineligible for help. The federal government will pay for the expansion through 2016 and no less than 90 percent of costs in later years.

In short, because the very states that hold a disproportionate amount of low-income folks are also the majority of the ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 11 years ago

Why are poor, white women dying younger than they used to?

White women who don’t graduate from high school have seen their life expectancy decline by five years over the past 18 years. As Monica Potts explores in a fascinating long-read at The American Prospect, that’s a big effing deal.

There are lots of racial, educational, and economic disparities when it comes life expectancy in this country (this biggest gap is between the most educated white and least educated black folks), but one thing that’s held true almost across the board is that it has been on the rise–drops in life expectancy are super rare. But women like Crystal Wilson of rural Arkansas–whose life and death Potts explores in the piece–are now unlikely to live as long as the generation that came before them.

Everything about Crystal’s ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 11 years ago

Are mainstream breast cancer awareness initiatives hurting more than they’re helping?

Ed. note: This is a guest post from Verónica Bayetti Flores. Verónica is the Assistant Director of the Civil Liberties and Public Policy program (CLPP) at Hampshire College. She has worked to increase access to contraception and abortion, fought for paid sick leave, demanded access to safe public space for queer youth of color, and helped to lead social justice efforts in Wisconsin, New York City, and Texas.

Yesterday the New York Times featured an article in its Sunday magazine about breast cancer, awareness initiatives, and what the real effects these initiatives have had on the lives of women. It’s on the longer side, but one that’s framed around the personal narrative of the author – a breast cancer survivor herself ...

By Alexandra Brodsky • 12 years ago

Infographic: Health disparities faced by the transgender community

Today is International Transgender Day of Remembrance, which calls on us to honor the memory of those “those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.” Violence against trans and other gender non-conforming people persists in many forms, including unacceptable health disparities resulting from discrimination and poor care. This infographic from Fenway Health (via Think Progress) presents a concise, powerful look at the situation:

Click here for larger version.

By Vanessa • 12 years ago

Infographic: Women of color in the United States

Brought to us by the Center for American Progress, this infographic examines the state of women of color in four key areas: the workplace wage gap, health, educational attainment, and political leadership — taken from an issue brief they just released. CAP reports:

Women of color have made incredible strides in educational attainment and in the workplace, but their earnings and net wealth still pale in comparison to white women. They also lag behind in political leadership positions and still face unique health disparities. Their voices are critical to shaping the policies that affect their lives.

Check out the entire brief.

By Maya Dusenbery • 13 years ago

New study: Life expectancy for women has decreased in parts of U.S.

Change in life expectancy for women in U.S. counties from 1987 to 2007

Go here for a larger version of the map. Red areas indicate counties where life expectancy has decreased. (Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington)

That right there is an astounding map. Since basically forever, life expectancy in the U.S. has increased with each passing generation. But a new study found that while that trend has held steady nationally over the last two decades, for women in 313 U.S. counties, life expectancy has actually declined during that time.

That–like so many other health disparities in the U.S.–should be a national embarrassment. According to the study, the U.S. ...