When Michael Moore's film Sicko hits theaters this month I'm betting that there will be very little "shock and awe" among the movie-goers who make up this nation's estimated 47 million uninsured, especially people of color.
Just last month, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported that minority women have higher rates of chronic disease than white women, and black women in LA County have the highest mortality rate of any group. Pick any major U.S. state, city and county and the statistics are likely to be painfully familiar, with poverty and lack of health care and insurance among the headlining factors.
Some of the other barriers faced by people of color and residents of low-income communities include lack of health facilities nearby, the cost of care and prescriptions, and the lack of neighborhood-based resources and social support to engage in healthy behaviors. Race aside, add to that list unaffordable premiums and reduced benefits and you have a healthcare system that excludes 1 out of 5 Californians, many of whom are average working people.
Nationally, healthcare continues to rank among the American public's top concerns in opinion polls, it's already being tackled in the 2008 presidential race, and it's the very first issue highlighted in the bestselling book, Covenant with Black America, which outlines the top 10 issues facing African Americans. Ironically, on June 28th the day before Sicko's scheduled release, healthcare will be among the topics raised with the Democratic candidates during the All-American Presidential Forum to be broadcast live in primetime on PBS. The event with Republican candidates will be held in September.
Regardless of Moore's politics or his filmmaking process, many may see themselves reflected in the stories of everyday Americans who are struggling to pay more for less in return. In a way that's what these forums that I will have the opportunity to moderate are all about -- inclusion. The forums, which will also include questions posed by three journalists of color, will provide an unprecedented opportunity for diverse perspectives to be a part of the national dialogue.
The Covenant, which I had the privilege of editing, kicked off that dialogue with contributions from some of our nation's leading thinkers whose recommendations for mending our broken health care system include: Improving data collection and analysis at local, regional, state and national levels; creating universal access to quality healthcare and treatment; ensuring residents in low-income neighborhoods have decent places to engage in physical activity and purchase healthy food; strengthening regulations on hazardous toxic substances that have negative impacts on health and the environment; and, developing and implementing training for healthcare professionals to meet the needs of diverse patient populations.
The candidates may come to the table with some or none of these ideas, but at some point hopefully the words of an African proverb will ring true. "Disease and disasters come and go like rain, but health is like the sun that illuminates an entire village." In June, September and beyond, when it comes to healthcare and other critical issues I hope we can get beyond the politics to make way for the sunshine.
Tavis Smiley is host of Tavis Smiley on PBS and The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI. His latest book is What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America.