By C. Nicole Mason

Watching the media coverage of healthcare town hall meetings over the last few months, you would think African-Americans and communities of color were not interested in voicing their opinions on healthcare reform. As more and more meetings happened across the country, it became clear that the opinions, values, and ideas of Middle America were steering the debate and in some cases derailing it.

Given that African-Americans have some of the worse health outcomes compared to other groups and know first-hand the deficiencies in the current system, we cannot afford to be left out of this important debate. And while some are choosing to use healthcare reform as a political opportunity to voice their opposition to the Obama Administration, blacks and Latinos need to seize this moment as an opportunity to begin to correct historic inequalities in the health care system and to address issues of health disparities in communities of color.

Oct. 5 President Obama stands with doctors in the Rose Garden of the White House during an event with physicians from around the country to discuss health care reform (AP).

People of color and low-income individuals are over-represented among those without health insurance. In general, it is estimated that 19 percent of African-Americans and 30 percent of Latinos are without health insurance. And at the beginning of the recession in 2007 and through 2008, 40 percent of blacks reported being uninsured, compared to just 25 percent of whites.

The old adage that blacks don’t go to the doctor, we go to the emergency room is true for many of us. Blacks are more than twice as likely as whites to identify the emergency room as their regular health care provider. The lack of quality hospitals and health insurance coupled with the poor distribution of primary care service providers in communities of color are to blame for this phenomenon.

In terms of health outcomes, African-Americans have higher rates of infant mortality, are at higher risk for certain kinds of cancer and are more likely to die because of the lack of care or treatment than whites. We are also more like to become infected with HIV/AIDS or other infectious diseases. So, what should be done?

We have not reached the bottom of the well in terms of the proposals that will be presented by congress, the Administration, and interests groups to overhaul the healthcare system. For any proposal to have a sizeable impact on African-Americans and communities of color, there must be a public option to help close the gap between uninsured and insured.

One of the biggest issues we now face in the current system is that doctors are reluctant to take Medicaid because of low reimbursement rates. Thus people with Medicaid or low-income individuals frequently have no primary care provider or receive sub-prime care. A public option would ensure a minimum quality standard and provide loans and grants to doctors to cover the cost of providing care.

Next, subsidies and sliding scales should not only be guaranteed to low-income or the most vulnerable in our society, but should be extended to middle-class families as well. Health insurance coverage can consume up to 30 percent of a working family’s income and the cost to continue insurance if the primary breadwinner becomes unemployed can climb to over $1,000 per month. Families should not have to choose between having food on the table and health insurance.

There should also be funds and resources dedicated to improving the quality of hospitals, clinics and facilities in communities of color. Healthcare reform should not only be about the economics and cost of reform, but also about improving health outcomes and relieving disparities across the board through improved hospitals and facilities.

It should go without saying that coverage should not be denied because of pre-existing conditions or health problems. For African Americans, this is extremely important because we are more likely to have a delay in diagnosis, lapse in insurance coverage, or gap in care.

I look forward to the day when I am able to walk into any hospital or clinic, give my name and receive care no matter where the facility is located in the country. However, that day seems unlikely any time soon.

In the meantime, any serious healthcare reform must take into consideration the needs and concerns of the African-American community which include addressing health care disparities, closing the higher than average gap between the insured and uninsured, and improving hospitals and facilities in communities. The stakes are high and our voices must be heard.

Dr. C. Nicole Mason is the Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network  at the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.