Differential access to healthcare is an important contributor to breast cancer disparities in the United States. Access to care varies from neighborhood to neighborhood, in part due to historical patterns of segregation and structural racism. It also varies from city to city because of systems-based factors such as state policy decisions, differential Medicaid coverage and re-enrollment requirements, and funding of social programs.
Though some neighborhoods or cities may be more prone to barriers limiting healthcare access, racial disparities exist at every step along the breast cancer care continuum from early screening and timely diagnosis to initiation and completion of high-quality therapies throughout the United States.
See “Disparity In Early Detection Of Breast Cancer” by Jess Wilson on the Stat Pearls website (November 1, 2020)
