Structural racism in healthcare is documented across every measure: diagnostic rates, treatment quality, pain management, maternal mortality, clinical trial participation, and the application of care guidelines. It operates through provider bias (conscious and unconscious), institutional policies, unequal access to insurance and facilities, and the health consequences of racism itself — a chronic stressor with measurable physiological effects. Addressing health equity requires changes at every level of healthcare systems, and recognizing where disparities exist is the minimum starting point.
Each step builds on the last.