Black Latin American doctors see more low-income patients

Black doctors and other people of color are much more likely to simply accept Medicaid as a type of payment than white doctors, in accordance with newly published research, underscoring the necessity to expand Medicaid and Medicare.

According to research published in , people from communities “underrepresented in medicine” were more more likely to achieve this. meeting with Medicaid beneficiaries than their white counterparts. While the study acknowledged its own limitations, it also pointed to the necessity for greater diversity within the medical field.

According to the study, the study indicates that Black and Latino physicians are 60% and 40% more likely, respectively, to have contact with Medicaid beneficiaries, and likewise generally have greater representation of those patients of their patient profiles than white physicians. The study also highlights the necessity for greater diversity within the medical field, which has come under attack from conservative groups after the Supreme Court ruled affirmative motion unconstitutional in 2023.

Additionally, the study confirms previous research that found that physicians from underrepresented populations were more more likely to open family medicine practices in communities of color which have not traditionally had access to high-quality health care.

According to the article’s lead writer, Anushree Vichare, the article doesn’t argue that “we want minority physicians to shoulder all the responsibility for working in underserved areas and caring for Medicaid patients.”

Instead, Vichare said special attention needs to be paid to retaining and developing talent within the medical field.

“Our research suggests that Black and Latino family medicine physicians play a critical role in providing health care to people living in marginalized communities. Building a more diverse and representative health care workforce leads to better health care for all and is also necessary from a social justice perspective.” Vichare said.

Vichare continued: “We, as a society, must make sure that those underrepresented in medicine have fair and equal opportunities to pursue medical degrees. It can be essential to support an inclusive culture in healthcare institutions that values ​​diversity and promotes the retention and skilled development of diverse staff.

Despite these comments, Vichare emphasized that each one physicians, not only those from underrepresented backgrounds, need support to thrive while treating their patients.

“For clinicians, recruitment is the first step. This is a very critical step. But we also need to ensure that they invest in retention and development and help all clinicians develop while ensuring fair and equal opportunities. Investments in other workforces can be truly critical, but at the same time they should cover the entire professional continuum,” Vichare said.

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