Annually, on the third Monday of January, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — a Baptist minister and civil rights activist who advocated for Black people to have the right to vote, labor and other basic civil rights, desegregation, and more. King rose to prominence in the United States while promoting nonviolent tactics and leading the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963. The March on Washington is where King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. 

But there are ways that we can celebrate his life — and honor his legacy — everyday. Learning the best ways to make the American healthcare system equitable is one of them. Health equity, according to the Center for Disease Control, is defined as “the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health”. To achieve health equity, societies need to address “historical and contemporary injustices; overcome economic, social, and other obstacles to health and healthcare” and address “racism as a threat to public health” (CDC).

At a press conference for human rights in 1966, Dr. King said: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane.” It is important to reckon with how our current healthcare system disproportionately affects people of color. In the United States, the most uninsured populations are racial minorities. 18.8% of Native American and Alaska Natives are uninsured, and 17.7% of Hispanic/Latinos are uninsured. Furthermore, in 2022, 10.9% of Black people living in the United States were uninsured. There are consequences that can arise from not having any access to healthcare, and these consequences directly impact the communities that Martin Luther King Jr. was advocating for. 

Direct2Care’s telemedical services have the ability to deliver medical services (Kuziemsky et. al.) to underinsured populations — a key step in achieving health equity. Because healthcare is the #1 reason why employees stay at their jobs. This is exactly why it is important for us to offer you all-encompassing healthcare. 

By offering access to virtual care services to both employees and their families, Direct2Care can help underinsured populations get the healthcare that they deserve.