Stronger healthcare data is the key to cutting down many of the health inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Humana CEO Bruce Broussard and America's Health Insurance Plans CEO Matt Eyles wrote in a July 9 column.
In the column, the CEOs write that participation in the national Vaccine Community Connectors initiative highlighted how social barriers created a divide in vaccination rollout. The campaign leveraged Social Vulnerability Index data to identify and vaccinate at-risk communities.
The column noted that there aren't enough records on social determinants of health and vaccination records that could prevent additional care. Much of this push has to see legislative support to create sweeping national change.
Collecting additional data is crucial for continuing vaccination rollout, but also for battling issues that disproportionately affect Black and brown communities, the CEOs wrote.