
Racial health equity for Black women
Blue Cross is dedicated to implementing programs and initiatives to end the racial public health crisis.
Blue Cross is dedicated to implementing programs and initiatives to end the racial public health crisis.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has made it our mission to pave the way for everyone to live their healthiest life. To achieve this mission, advancing racial and health equity in Minnesota is critical.
Addressing health inequities requires a systemic approach that includes improving access to quality culturally concordant healthcare, achieving diversity in the healthcare workforce, and implementing anti-bias training for healthcare providers.1
Black women in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by a variety of health issues and inequities, many of which are deeply rooted in the country’s history of systemic racism that continues in our present time.1
Socioeconomic stratification, segregated communities, and the dismissal by the medical community of Black women’s pain and other health conditions have been contributing factors to their health inequities.1
The pain of healthcare inequities is felt not only physically, but also mentally. Black women are more likely to experience common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.2 However, they are less likely to seek mental health treatment due to barriers such as stigma, lack of culturally responsive services and limited access to affordable care.3
Blue Cross recognizes that achieving racial and health equity leads to greater opportunities to improve health and reduce costs to the healthcare system. To address healthcare bias and adverse outcomes — and help people from all communities live their healthiest lives — Blue Cross is dedicated to implementing programs and initiatives to end the public health crisis of racism.4
Black women persistently encounter obstacles in obtaining adequate insurance coverage and accessing primary care, resulting in potentially dangerous and expensive gaps in care.5 Socioeconomic factors can exacerbate these issues, making Black women more susceptible to poor nutrition, unhealthy weight, and other lifestyle factors that compromise the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Often the most important factors for a healthy pregnancy exist before a woman is pregnant.6
In addition, healthcare systems don’t adequately represent or understand cultural norms and backgrounds, making navigating and seeking care even more difficult.
To address these issues, Blue Cross has launched several initiatives anchored in the needs of Black women. Programs include education and case management assistance to Black women during and after pregnancy. These efforts are designed to give the knowledge, support and access to care needed to achieve the best possible health outcomes for themselves and their babies.
Blue Cross is also implementing anti-bias training for healthcare providers to promote racial and health equity in the healthcare workforce, helping to spot and address weaknesses that reinforce structural racism, and establish protocols to ensure equitable treatment for all patients.
Blue Cross maternity health programs are designed to meet members where they are in their health journey, helping Black women, in particular, access providers who are sensitive to their cultural values and unique healthcare needs.
As with maternal healthcare, Black women experience gaps in care related to preventive screenings that are critical to the early detection of breast cancer.7
In 2022, Blue Cross began participation in the Breast Cancer GAPS Project, a partnership with providers to identify gaps across the care continuum. Through interviews, community surveys and prototype testing, the program has identified barriers and opportunities to support Black women.
Blue Cross partners with the Breast Cancer GAPS Advisory Team, along with local providers and community members, to create customized communications to raise awareness of breast cancer screening for Black members. The partnership has spurred education resources, such as videos embedded in clinical settings and electronic health records.
Initiatives for 2024 include an education toolkit to help providers promote screening among Black patients and the development of breast cancer screening quality measures to establish baseline standards for value-based care.
Inequities are also seen with cardiovascular health among Black adults, who have the highest prevalence of coronary heart disease, hypertension and stroke among all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.8 But even more alarming is that Black women are more likely than any other population segment to suffer from these conditions. Due to gaps in care and a lack of education outreach, Black women often have less information and understanding about the risks and signs of cardiovascular disease than white women.8
To increase awareness and reduce cardiovascular disease among Black women, Blue Cross engages in community outreach, member education, and health screening events. Blue Cross also partners with organizations such as Health in Her HUE that connects Black women and other women of color with culturally competent healthcare providers and resources relevant to their lived experiences.
Studies show that culturally concordant care results in better patient-provider communication, earlier detection of symptoms, greater patient engagement and enhanced clinical outcomes.9
Blue Cross is committed to providing high-quality healthcare to women of diverse backgrounds, considering their unique needs, experiences and values. We partner with providers on the cultural influences that shape patients’ health. And we embrace culturally competent care delivery that is respectful, inclusive and patient-centered.
But we are not done.
In a recent Blue Cross Report to the Community, President and Chief Executive Officer Dana Erickson said, “We are dedicated to taking meaningful action, and to reaching a time when racism no longer determines health outcomes or acts as a barrier to receiving quality care for Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and other people of color.”
Erickson continued, “As Minnesota’s largest nonprofit health plan, Blue Cross has an unwavering belief that tackling health inequities and systemic racism is paramount for the health of all our members, their communities and the vitality of our state.”10
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* Designation as Blue Distinction Centers means these facilities’ overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians’ and leading professional organizations’ recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your health plan at any facilities, please call Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
1 Walton, Jenn. “Black Women’s Biggest Health Issue Is the System.” Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health. November 13, 2020.
2 Richards, Erica Martin. “Mental Health Among African American Women.” Johns Hopkins Medicine. Accessed May 2024.
3 “Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2020.
4 “Blue Cross Blue Shield Taking on Racism as a Public Health Crisis.” StarTribune. September 5, 2021.
5 Daw, JR, Kolenic, GE, Dalton, VK, et al. “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Perinatal Insurance Coverage.” National Library of Medicine. March 2020.
6 “Obesity and African Americans.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. Accessed May 2024.
7 DePolo, Jamie. “Black Women Face Multiple Barriers to Risk-Reducing Care.” BreastCancer.org. March 21, 2023.
8 “Heart Disease and African Americans.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. Accessed May 2024.
9 “Can Cultural Competency Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities? A Review and Conceptual Model.” National Library of Medicine. November 2, 2016.
10 “2023 Report to the Community.” Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
11 “Severe Maternal Morbidity in the United States.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2023.
12 McDowell, Sandy. “Breast Cancer Death Rates Are Highest for Black Women — Again.” American Cancer Society. October 3, 2022.
13 Benjamin EJ, Muntner P, Alonso A, et al. “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2019 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association.” Circulation. March 5, 2019;139:e56–e528.