9.1.21
By Son of Inequity
Grand Rounds Health, which describes itself as an “integrated virtual care company” designed to “raise the standard of healthcare” has partnered with two of the biggest impediments to quality care for African Americans, Walmart and Target, to somehow do what these two companies have refused to do for their African American employees for decades.
Grant Round Health describes this new effort in a press release as follows: “Developed using insights from an innovation coalition of Global and Fortune 500 companies, the product will be the first dedicated care concierge and healthcare navigation platform focused on improving the healthcare experience and advancing health equity for Black Americans. The Black Community Innovation Coalition is comprised of EHIR members Accenture, Best Buy, Genentech, Medtronic, State Farm, Target, and Walmart.”
So, it’s an app?
The average American family spends 11% of its income on health insurance premiums, while the average African American family spends nearly double that amount (20% percent of its family income) for the same thing.
Nearly 20% of adult African Americans are underinsured and are forced to pay high out-of-pocket costs for basic health healthcare needs not covered by these inferior plans.
Government provided health insurance for the poorest American’s is provided by the Medicaid program, which provides coverage for nearly 70 million Americans. Nearly one-third of the total black population of the U.S. receives insurance through the inefficient and inferior Medicaid program.