Minority Engagement
Physicians for Reform seeks to improve the lives of every American, especially those with lower incomes… a situation that disproportionately affects minorities. Current policy devastates our lower income and minority populations in two ways:
1) Medicaid's Cruel Secret: Poor Patient Outcomes
Medicaid produces worse patient outcomes than any other form of healthcare coverage in America. In fact, patients on Medicaid sometimes fare worse than patients with no insurance at all.
For example: Major surgical procedures: A 2010 study of 893,658 major surgical operations performed between 2003 to 2007, published in the Annals of Surgery, found that being on Medicaid was associated with the longest length of stay, the most total hospital costs, and the highest risk of death. Medicaid patients were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital than those with private insurance. By comparison, uninsured patients were about 25% less likely than those with Medicaid to have an "in-hospital death."
Learn More: Medicaid, The Worst Medical Outcomes in America
2) America’s Broken Welfare System Traps People in Poverty
For millions of Americans, keeping their healthcare coverage through Medicaid is a powerful reason to not reenter the workforce. Many part-time, hourly wage jobs do not include healthcare as a benefit. However, these jobs generate enough income to disqualify the individual from Medicaid, creating a situation where Americans on Medicaid stand to lose more than they gain.
The chart below shows two “welfare cliffs” at $29,000 and $43,000 of income. If a single mother increases her income above these amounts, she is worse off for her hard work. This traps her in poverty.
