BlueCross Health Equity Report highlights care disparities, opportunities to improve health care

 Findings will inform collaboration with health providers to advance outcomes for diverse communities across the state

 

CHATTANOOGA – BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has released its first Health Equity Report, a six-topic review of health disparities aimed at highlighting issues and informing ways to improve care delivery and outcomes. 

The report analyzed data from publicly available sources as well as BlueCross members who get health coverage through their jobs/independently, or through the state Medicaid plan. It focuses on how race and social factors impact health outcomes, providing insights around:  

“We wanted to get a better picture of the health issues and barriers to care faced by our members and Tennesseans as a whole, so that we could more effectively partner with health care providers to address those issues,” said Dr. Andrea Willis, chief medical officer. “Understanding this data helps support progress that will ultimately deliver better health for everyone, regardless of their background.” 

The report includes key state-level statistics: 

  • Black patients were 2.5x more likely to have a pregnancy-related death than White patients.
  • In Tennessee, Black adults are 40% more likely to have high blood pressure and less likely to have it under control than White adults.
  • Indigenous Tennesseans reported 10 days per month with poor mental health, more than any other racial or ethnic group.
  • Hispanic Tennesseans accounted for 8% of COVID-19 deaths of Tennesseans 40 years and younger.

To review the Health Equity Report and more of its key findings, visit https://www.bcbst.com/healthequity

Click here for a video of Dr. Willis discussing the Health Equity Report. 

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