Tiara Green Calls for Comprehensive Support for Rare and Chronic Diseases

Not only is health care inequity costing the country billions of dollars, but the quality of care is lacking for individuals with rare and chronic diseases, Tiara Green, MSEd, president of Accessia Health, a national nonprofit providing comprehensive support to individuals with rare or chronic health conditions, explained in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care®. She discussed the crucial need to improve health literacy, provide case management, and offer resources for education, housing, and social security disability to overcome these barriers and ensure patients receive comprehensive support.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity

Transcript

In your perspective, why is it important to focus on health equity, particularly among patients with rare and chronic diseases?

That’s a big question. When we think about health equity, I think we have to talk about several things. Number one, and it’s really looking into, not only the social factors that impact health but also the economic factors that impact health equity. There are many historical and even current items that really play a factor in how individuals are seeking care and how they're able to get the care they need. And for individuals with rare and chronic conditions, we're talking about it being a little more difficult.

When we think about the amount of debt that Americans have in health care, it's about $220 billion—that's a lot of money that they're spending on health care. About 3 million people in America have $10,000, at least, in medical debt per person. So, when we talk about health equity and the amount of money that they're spending, and the ability to access quality care—and that's the keyword: quality—it's difficult. Our job as an organization is really to assist them in getting the care that they need.

While financial burden is a key contributor to health inequity, what resources are available to address the non-financial contributors?

That's really where we talk about those social determinants of health and whether people have access to education. When we are thinking about where they're living, is it a healthy environment, and the safety of neighborhoods? Then, from an organizational perspective, we look at health literacy, and making health care decisions. If you don't necessarily understand what the physician is saying, then you're less likely to make an informed decision. We focus on whether they understand the terms of their health insurance. “What is the out-of-pocket limit? What is an in-network physician, or in-network service versus out-of-network?” If you understand, kind of, the “ABCs of health care,” you’re more likely to make better decisions for health.

We also offer case management and that is important for people who are trying to really navigate the health care system. They may not understand what the benefits are that are available to them. They're looking at health insurance plans, as well as understanding their benefits when they already have the insurance. “I have this health insurance plan now, what is it that I can do? How can I reach my physician? What am I going to pay?” And then there is a service that we also provide in looking at social security disability and helping people understand what is available to them. So, looking at some of the health literacy items, but also taking some really deep looks into what is available to those individuals from a food perspective, from a housing perspective, and educational.