A new report on Boston’s widening life-expectancy gap has brought renewed attention to a troubling reality that communities of color have long experienced.
Black men in Boston live about nine years fewer on average than men from other racial groups, and Black women about six years fewer than other women. These disparities are driven largely by preventable conditions such as cancer and cardiometabolic diseases, as well as longstanding disinvestment and structural barriers affecting access to care, housing, and economic opportunities.
But this issue is not limited to Boston.
In Springfield and across Western Massachusetts, the data tells a similar story. In some neighborhoods of Springfield, life expectancy is just over 70 years — nearly a decade below the Massachusetts average. Black and Latino residents experience higher rates of chronic disease, infant mortality, and hospitalizations tied to conditions that are often preventable with earlier access to care and stronger community health systems.
At Caring Health Center, where we serve over 20,000 patients each year, we see these realities every day. Patients often delay care due to cost, loss of health insurance, concerns of language barriers, transportation barriers, or limited access to primary care. For some in the community, fear, and uncertainty about being targeted, can discourage people from seeking care until a health problem becomes urgent. By the time many patients arrive at our health center, conditions that could have been managed earlier have become far more serious.
The consequences of delayed care extend beyond individual patients and affect the entire health system. A report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and the Health Equity Compact estimates that racial and ethnic health inequities cost the Commonwealth nearly $5.9 billion each year, including $1.5 billion in avoidable medical spending that could be reduced through earlier access to care and prevention.
Community health centers like ours are often the first and most consistent point of care for families across Western Massachusetts. These safety-net providers deliver primary care, behavioral health services, dental care, and preventive services to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Across Massachusetts, community health centers serve more than one million residents each year through hundreds of care sites, forming the backbone of care in many underserved communities.
In Boston, the Public Health Commission — led by Dr. Bisola Ojikutu — is working with Mayor Michelle Wu on the city’s Live Long and Well Agenda, an effort aimed at addressing structural drivers of health inequities. Leaders from across the Health Equity Compact coalition are helping guide that work through the initiative’s advisory council.
In Springfield, we recognize the urgent need to close persistent health gaps and appreciate the leadership of State Representative Bud L. Williams. As lead sponsor of H.R. 1416, An Act to Advance Health Equity, Representative Williams has shown a strong commitment to addressing disparities through improved data collection, expanded access to care, and greater equity in health systems.
Health providers and public health officials have worked for years to address these challenges. Local partnerships, community health initiatives, and organizations such as Caring Health Center and the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts continue to advance awareness of the structural causes of health disparities and the need for sustained investment in prevention and primary care.
These conversations are especially urgent as Massachusetts lawmakers debate the Fiscal Year 2027 state budget and the future of healthcare funding. As the Boston Globe recently reported, potential federal Medicaid cuts could cost the Commonwealth billions of dollars in the coming years. In tight fiscal times, the real test of our values is where we choose to invest. Protecting safety-net providers, strengthening primary care, and supporting community health systems will be critical to ensuring that progress toward health equity does not stall.
Closing the life expectancy gap will not happen overnight. But with sustained commitment, strong community partnerships, and meaningful investment in primary care and prevention, progress is possible.
Whether in Boston or Springfield, the message is the same: improving health equity requires investing in the community health systems that care for our most vulnerable residents every day.
Tania M. Barber is President and CEO of Caring Health Center in Springfield and a member of the Health Equity Compact, a coalition of 100 leaders of color from health systems, community health centers, business, labor, philanthropy, and public health across Massachusetts working to advance policies that strengthen primary care, protect safety-net providers, and improve health outcomes for communities of color. ■