The minority health crisis

On a quiet summer Saturday, 10 minority members of the U.S. Congress gathered in Miami to discuss the crisis in minority healthcare. For more than two years, stacks of reports have been piling up about what has become a raw, festering wound on America's social conscience. Dozens of studies make the point: Even if minorities have good health insurance, they tend to get worse healthcare, and they're much likelier than whites not to have good insurance or any health insurance at all. ''We're sick and tired of being sick and tired,'' said Donna Christensen, a physician who represents the Virgin Islands in the U.S. Congress. ''We came here to issue a call to action.'' She said whites with good insurance should pay attention to what's happening to minorities because it ultimately hurts them, too. ''We're getting to the hospital late, using much more expensive care,'' Christensen said. ''We're really driving up the costs of healthcare.'' [more ]