President’s Blog: Health Inequality

I’ve been thinking about health inequality. Health is about more than luck. Yes, it’s about good genes but it’s also about lifelong access to the factors that contribute to our well-being—good nutrition, a safe and healthy environment, medical care when we need it, and insurance to cover the sometimes-astronomical costs of good health. Not everyone is lucky enough to have all of this. 

While the Affordable Care Act has helped level the playing field in terms of medical access and insurance coverage, there are many determinants of health that still need to be addressed: the millions of Americans who live in food deserts, where fast food and liquor stores are more accessible than supermarkets and fresh produce, and where constant stress takes its toll on families living in violence-ridden neighborhoods. 

Environmental stress alone has been found to have a profound impact on health disparities, and is associated with greater incidence of childhood asthma, hypertension, substance abuse, diabetes, obesity and depression. We can’t eliminate health inequality overnight, but we can—and must—focus on righting the wrongs that have left so many Americans facing barriers that put them at greater risk of illness, poor quality of life and lower life expectancy.

Remember, life is short.  Let’s each do our part to make it the best we can, for ourselves and for those around us.  

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