Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee claimed during a recent congressional hearing that racial disparities continue to exist throughout the U.S. healthcare system, where Black patients are oftentimes more “ignored,” “misdiagnosed,” or denied proper medical care. The congresswoman said Black doctors, along with culturally competent care, are needed to help improve health outcomes.
“Having all white male doctors is just as bad for the medical profession as having all white male congressmen is to our government,” Lee stated. She cited several health disparities impacting her district.
“The life expectancy for black people in my district is eight years earlier than white people,” Lee said. “Black women are dying three times more during pregnancy than white women. Three in four black adults develop hypertension by age 55.”
The Democrat argued that DEI and accessibility programs can help address those gaps, claiming that Black doctors are in a better position to understand the experiences of Black patients.
“I have a black doctor and I sought my black doctor out. In fact, black doctors are in high demand because black patients know that culturally competent care can be the difference between care and cure or life and death,” Lee said.
Netizens’ Reaction to Summer Lee’s Remarks
On X, many netizens were outraged by Lee’s remarks. Some argued that there were no disparities and that every race suffers the same problems. “We’re ALL victims of the incompetence of the current Healthcare system. No one gets decent care,” one comment read. Another remarked, “Everyone is ignored as everything got worse so spare us the lazy distraction.”
Some pushed back on Lee’s comments about White doctors, saying a doctor’s qualifications matter more than race. “I DON’T CARE what color my doctor is as long as they are MEDICALLY competent!!! What the [expletive] is wrong with you,” one person wrote. Another commented, “You are so fixated on race that you’ll jeopardize peoples’ well being. Idiotic.” A third added, “You are a racist, and want med school admission based on race.”
A fourth accused Lee of fueling racial division, writing, “When does the race baiting end? We have a hate crime epidemic going on in this country and you’ve got it exactly wrong.”
Other people also argued that diversity initiatives could undermine merit in medicine. “DEI is in medical schools & unqualified Dr’s are graduating to check a box, that hurts Black health more,” one netizen said. Someone else added, “Why dont ALL blacks go to Black doctors ONLY? Because DEI has cast a shade over their qualifications and competence; merit or quota preference?”
Not everyone disagreed with Lee, however. One commenter wrote, “White doctors have a long (and ongoing) history of being racist toward black people, assuming they’re faking illness to get drugs. I’ve had this experience twice, and I’m white, but my husband is black, so I got the treatment.”
Peer-reviewed research does appear to support elements of Lee’s broader argument. A 2020 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that Black newborns experienced significantly lower mortality rates when cared for by Black physicians.
