Rule 13. Always Get a Second Medical Opinion

When looking for a new doctor, we’ve all asked ourselves, “Can I trust this person?” Usually, you can judge a doctor based just on their credentials and what their reviews say.

But Black patients also have to ask themselves, “Even if this doctor is qualified, will they discriminate against me?” That’s because the chances of Black patients receiving low-quality care are much higher than they are for white patients because of subconscious biases 1 , racist perspectives of Black people and a lack of access to quality insurance.

The consequences of not having a doctor you can trust can cost a Black person their life, and these disparities show up in unsettling ways. Black mothers are two to three times more 2 likely to die in childbirth 3 than white mothers, and their babies are more likely to die during infancy. There is a myth in the medical field that Black patients have tougher skin and experience less pain, so doctors are more likely to doubt the intensity of their symptoms. And there is a long history of Black people being mistreated in medical studies 4 , so the distrust runs deep. But when Black people see Black doctors, their positive health outcomes go up.

Health care is infected with discrimination and bias, and it will take a long time to root it out. So Black people should always get a second medical opinion, and they should try to see a Black doctor when they can.