The coronavirus pandemic put health disparities among racial and ethnic groups under a microscope. While we were put into lockdown, got sick and lost valuable time at work or school or had to take care of someone who had COVID-19.
The costs keep piling up.
And one of the costliest health conditions in the Black community is diabetes. The costs of insulin are skyrocketing. People with little-to-no health insurance have reported paying more than $1,000 a month.
Some must choose between paying for insulin or buying food or covering utilities. The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law earlier this year caps monthly out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35, but that doesn’t start until next year.
Against that backdrop, patients suffer. People with debt don’t seek a doctor’s care and become sicker with treatable chronic conditions like diabetes. Worse still, hospitals and doctors sometimes won’t see patients with medical debt.
“African Americans don’t seek health care until we are really, really sick, and then it costs more,” said Tabace Burns, a former emergency room nurse in Knoxville.
Diabetes may also mean losing work time due to having hypoglycemic episodes at work or having to leave your job to give insulin to your child at school.
This health condition affects 1 in 5 Americans according to the 2022 National Diabetes Statistics Report.
The report also states that 37.3 million people or 11.3% of Americans have diabetes. Black adults in the U.S. are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.
And the factors that make this condition harder to contend with affect Blacks more. We have more poverty, we have less access to healthier foods, we tend to weigh more and move less, we are least likely to have primary care physicians and are less likely to have health care insurance to cover what the condition requires to manage it.
These are just a few examples of the many obstacles people with diabetes face daily.
What are the solutions here? Some say they can be found in the Black community. Burns, who is also a leader in her church, recommends that places that African Americans frequent such as churches, barber shops and beauty salons serve as conduits for medical care.
But the National Institutes of Health and other experts, recommend some core ways to prevent diabetes:
Walk, dance, or ride a bike with your friends or family. It doesn’t matter what activity you do, as long as you enjoy it.
Experts have long endorsed walking as a free and easy way for people to get a wide variety of health benefits, including improved sleep, prevention of weight gain and reduced risks for serious conditions like heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Eat fiber-rich fruits and vegetables.
With healthy eating and more physical activity, you can drop pounds and keep them off.
Start with small changes, like being active for 15 minutes a day this week. Add 5 minutes per day each week until you’re up to at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week.
Keep a diary of what you eat and drink and the number of minutes you exercise. It’s a great way to stay focused and reach your goals.
Making even small changes is hard in the beginning. If you get off track, start again.
As we look at this month’s observance of National Diabetes Awareness Month, we must also look to our health, our habits and our medical care — as well as that of our neighbors.
And beyond prevention, we must advocate for ourselves and go vote on Tuesday. And part of this is listening to the politicians who are running this week and who will help make crucial decisions about our access to health care insurance so that we can manage chronic conditions such as diabetes.
It’s all in our hands.
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