A new report says racial and ethnic minorities in Nebraska face shorter lives and more commonly deal with chronic illness and disability.
The report released Wednesday by Health Care for America Now and the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest also calls for comprehensive health care reform. The report examined health data in Nebraska and across the country.
Citing statistics from 2003-2005, the report says the infant mortality rate for whites in Nebraska was 5.1 per 1,000 live births. The rate for African-Americans was 14 per 1,000 live births.
The report also said that nearly 225,000 people in Nebraska were uninsured in 2007. About 26 percent of African-Americans didn't have health insurance, more than double the rate for whites.
