As a primary care physician, I see racial disparities across every aspect of health care. Eliminating those disparities is a major priority to me. And Senator Bernie Sanders is the presidential candidate who best understands and is best prepared to fight those disparities.

The examples of racial inequality in health care abound. African Americans have the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world. We are three times more likely, on average, to have end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis. Black women are slightly less likely to get breast cancer, but more likely to die from it. Black men have higher mortalities from even low-grade prostate cancers. Black children are six times more likely to suffer asthma-related deaths. These are realities I see and fight every day in my family medicine practice.

Lack of health-care coverage is a huge contributor to health disparities. In fact, black doctors have been advocating for universal coverage for people of color since we were freed slaves. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) did lessen some coverage gaps, but black people are still more likely than whites to be uninsured. Not only does this affect our physical health, it affects our financial wealth, leaving both older and younger black families in more medical debt.