A solid study just came out that quantifies what we already knew intuitively, but it’s good to have the hard data to back our intuitions. Basically, the way the need for on-going care is calculated is based on how much already has been spent in the care of a particular patient. In other words, if you have good coverage and good doctors and lots has been spent on your medical needs, you will continue to be able to access care based on past spending. If you do not have good coverage, or if providers did not prescribe adequate care for you, the calculations will show that you have low need for care. In other words, past hierarchies are used to perpetuate future ones. “The authors estimated that this racial bias reduces the number of Black patients identified for extra care by more than half.” What’s important here is that this is an easy fix: Change the algorithm that is used to determine who gets extra care! More here: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6464/447