Family Health Insurance Sending White Children to the Hospital
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According to the study, "white kids are admitted to hospital after an emergency room visit at a greater rate than black or Hispanic kids." However, this is not because black and Hispanic kids aren't getting the treatment they need, it's because white kids are getting treatment they don't need.
Why? Family health insurance is more prevalent in middle-class families, many of whom are white. As a result, "white patients are being over-admitted to the hospital when they don't really need it."
Perhaps both parents and doctor's are taking the "why not?" mentality, and don't mind playing it safer when the child in question covered by family health insurance. Or, perhaps the option isn't even on the table for minority kids who don't benefit from the same coverage.
Regardless, expensive hospital stays only drive up insurance costs for everyone. And as it's reported in the article, "it exposes them [children] to infectious diseases and other risks from being hospitalized. More health care is not always better."