New report shows Florida’s racial health disparities

Black Floridians are more likely to die early from preventable illnesses than their white counterparts, a new Commonwealth Fund report finds.

Why it matters: Health equity doesn't exist anywhere in the United States, the report's author said. The data also shows the pandemic's disproportionate health effects on Black communities.

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What they found: Preventable illnesses cause over 300 deaths per 100,000 Black Floridians under 75 years old — higher than any other racial demographic in Florida.

• Florida also had a higher rate of preventable deaths among white Americans than the national average. Asian Americans in the state have the lowest premature death rates from treatable illnesses.

Data: The Commonwealth Fund via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Chart: Axios Visuals

The fine print: The report analyzed federal data captured between 2020-2022 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Census Bureau.

• Researchers observed that Hispanic Americans tend to have lower premature mortality rates than Black and white Americans.
• This could be because the Hispanic population is younger, more diverse, and less likely to engage in risky behaviors like smoking, researchers noted.

Between the lines: Unequal access to primary care and comprehensive health insurance help perpetuate racial health disparities, the report said.

• Florida hasn't expanded Medicaid — resulting in hundreds of thousands of uninsured adults who earn too much to qualify for the program and too little to afford coverage outside of it.

The bottom line: The Affordable Care Act and other initiatives have narrowed the country's entrenched racial and ethnic health gaps, but there's still a long way to go .

• Abortion bans and the rise of artificial intelligence, among other things, are complicating the work of reversing systemic inequities.

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