David A. Ansell MD

A quick read for non-fiction, The Death Gap uses Chicago neighborhoods as case studies for the various ways inequity decreases health outcomes with dramatic life expectancy differences for neighborhoods along the same road. This is structural violence- redlining contributes to placement of facilities in certain neighborhoods, limiting access to care (all while the healthcare system is strangled by labyrinthine health insurance companies). Smaller hospitals might not be able to maintain much needed programs, thus forcing their constituents to travel farther for care (and increase the likelihood of death).

Dr. Ansell also advocates for single-payer healthcare, as current US systems are expensive with control in the hands of insurers for who is in-network, etc.

This book is from 2017, so I imagine healthcare disparities have only widened in the last five years, especially with the coronavirus pandemic exacerbating issues in an already broken system.… (mehr)