How Your Zip Code Affects the Healthcare You Get

It’s unfair, but it’s true: your zip code can predict how long you’ll live. In many rural areas and underserved neighborhoods, people can’t even access basic care. Hospitals close. Clinics are underfunded. And for teens, that can mean missing out on vaccinations, physicals, mental health support, or even emergency care.

Healthcare inequality isn’t just a grown-up issue. It affects us directly. Some of my friends drive over an hour just to see a doctor. Others skip appointments because their families can’t afford it. These are not choices teens should have to make.

We talk a lot about equality in school, but we rarely talk about health equity. It’s time we do. Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on how much money your family makes or how close you live to a city. It should be a basic right, not a privilege. Teens deserve the same chance at a healthy life, no matter where they come from.