ABSTRACT

Despite the fact that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 established racial discrimination in the United States to be illegal, it still remains a problem today. Additionally, the concept of being racially biased is damaging socially, and it also suggests that the experience of racism may have a detrimental effect on the healthcare system in America. The African American healthcare system originated back in the era of slavery when they had the worst health care, the worst health status, and the worst health outcome of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Theories such as racial inferiority were taught routinely in white medical schools during the 18th, 19th, and 20th century. White medical practitioners kept seeing African Americans as tools that could be studied and used to understand the white bodies better, and they would often conduct human experiments. As a result of how African Americans were seen as patients in the past, this consequently led to how they are treated today with racial discrimination and uneven access to healthcare. Healthcare providers in America would often treat them with stereotypes and misconceptions. People also mention that they are treated with a lack of respect simply because of their race. These disparities can be disturbingly overt to the point where healthcare providers assume the patient's economic status and misdiagnose them.

Keywords: Healthcare, Racial Disparity, Biased Treatment, Social Stereotypes

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