Black Health is American Health   – Af-Am Point of View

It’s been almost 50 years since the first Black History Month was commemorated nationally in 1976.  Since then, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has used this month to further our commitment toward advancing equity in health and working to ensure no one is left behind.  We still have our work cut out for us. There is a pronounced gap between the life expectancies of Black and white Americans – and there are no signs of it closing. I see it constantly in neighborhoods across the Region where communities of color struggle to maintain investments in the health of their family.    The Biden-Harris Administration is working to improve health outcomes in communities of color and for the underserved. As the first Black Regional Director for New England, I am proud of the work we are doing each day to expand access to care, lower health costs, and improve health outcomes.   When it comes to lowering healthcare costs, we are already seeing gains. The Inflation Reduction Act is saving Medicare enrollees money now. An estimated 5.8 million Black Americans enrolled in the Part D program have seen their out-of-pocket cost of a monthly supply of each covered insulin...