The pandemic of Covid-19 has put an intense spotlight on healthcare globally, and the United States is no exception. The flaws of the mostly for-profit industry have become impossible to ignore. Unless dramatic changes are made, the lack of access to affordable and adequate healthcare, which primarily affects minority communities, will continue to prove devastating to people of color. Such changes start at the top of the healthcare pyramid: the large healthcare companies.
10 Biggest Healthcare Companies
According to Investopedia, the “10 Biggest Healthcare Companies” in order are:
1. CVS
2. UnitedHealth Group Inc.
3. McKesson Corp.
4. AmerisourceBergen Corp.
5. Cigna Corp.
6. Cardinal Health Inc.
7. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.
8. Anthem Inc.
9. Johnson & Johnson
10. Centene Corp.
Some of these companies are pharmaceutical companies. However, UnitedHealth Group, Cigna, Anthem, and Centene Corp are among the top health insurance providers in the United States. These companies are crucial to the oversight of the healthcare industry, and the data regarding their top decision-makers is very concerning. For each of these large health insurance companies, data was collected to analyze the diversity (or lack thereof) of these companies at the top level, their decision-makers. These decision-makers include but are not limited to people like board members and CEOs.
What Does the Data Say About the Diversity of These Companies?
UnitedHealth Group has approximately 28% less POC representation as compared to the US population (see database).
Cigna has approximately 24% less POC representation as compared to the US population (see database).
Anthem has approximately 1% less POC representation as compares to the US population (see database).
Centene Corp. has approximately 15% less POC representation as compared to the US population (see database).
As illustrated above, all four companies have top decision-makers who underrepresented people of color. Anthem is the only company that even comes close to proportionately representing people of color, with 1% less POC representation when compared to the US population. This data is alarming and shows that some of the healthcare issues are instigated by a deeper-rooted problem with the corporations themselves. The higher-ups in these companies are directly responsible for implementing what types of coverage their customers are given and the rates they pay for those services.
How Does the Diversity of These Companies Effect People of Color?
Why is this important? This is important because people are dying due to these companies’ actions. Healthcare in America is complicated, but these companies do the absolute bare minimum for the people they claim to want to help. The lack of access to affordable and quality healthcare has proven devastating in the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the CDC, Black or African American people were 2.8 times more likely to be hospitalized due to Covid and two times more likely to die of Covid than whites. Hispanic or Latinos were found to be 2.8 times more likely to be hospitalized due to Covid and 2.3 times more likely to die of Covid than whites.
The issues stemming from a lack of diversity in healthcare were present long before Covid. Covid-19 only illuminated these existing issues to an extreme. It’s known that the presence of pre-existing conditions and co-morbidities increases the risk of a bad outcome from Covid, and pre-existing conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are seen at higher rates among Black Americans (Michigan Health). The lack of quality healthcare received by Black Americans, in particular, is a significant factor as to why we see such a large disparity in preventable diseases among them.
How Can We Address The Disparities in Healthcare?
It is one thing to discuss the many reasons why minorities, specifically Black Americans, are disproportionately affected by diseases and have worse outcomes when it comes to healthcare than whites. However, it’s much more complicated to change this massive problem. We can start by looking at those at the top of the healthcare pyramid. Companies like Anthem, although not perfect, are at least taking steps to move toward more diverse and representative leadership. Other major healthcare companies should follow suit. Diversifying decision-makers at such companies is not the only step needed to improve the healthcare of minorities. Still, it’s a step in the right direction.
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