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Black and Hispanic households hit harder by inflation– on top of economic inequality caused by the pandemic
Derek Saul, Forbes, July 1
Black and Hispanic Americans are more affected by record inflation than other groups, according to a new study by the New York Federal Reserve. The disparities in inflation among demographic groups are more than twice as large than they were in 2019, indicating that economic inequality has been made worse since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
How much health insurers pay for almost everything is about to go public
Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News, July 1
As of July 1, health insurers and self-insured employers must post on websites just about every price they’ve negotiated with providers for health care services, item by item. While the enormous size of the databases may be hard to use at first, the new federal rules will require insurers to provide online tools that will help people get upfront cost estimates for medical care they can schedule ahead of time.
Long COVID persists, but doctors are working on treatments
Jenna Carlesso, The Connecticut Mirror, July 5
Estimates show that millions of people in the U.S. could be suffering with symptoms of long COVID, and Hispanic and Black adults are more likely than white adults to experience the condition. Although there is currently no cure, treatment programs have emerged with the aim of managing symptoms and helping people recover as much as possible.
How Black female support groups are dealing with the end of Roe
Natachi Onwuamaegbu, The Washington Post, July 5
In recent years, many support groups for Black women have had to adapt to support their members through moments of national trauma that tend to unevenly affect Black women and their communities. The Dobbs decision is the latest example: experts say that restricted access to abortion will disproportionately impact Black women, who have higher rates of abortion than their white counterparts. Reproductive rights organizations say the reasons for these higher rates are systemic, driven by a lack of access to and effective use of contraceptives.