All across America, there are large and persistent racial differences in health and accessing healthcare. People of color get sick at younger ages and die sooner than white people. Compared with whites, members of racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive preventive health services and often receive lower-quality care. Addressing health disparities is increasingly important as our population becomes more diverse. Never has the disparity in access to healthcare become more obvious than with the pandemic of COVID-19. This episode examines the racial disparities that exist in health and healthcare in the U.S.
Source: KFF
What are health and health care disparities?
Health and health care disparities refer to differences in health and health care between groups that are closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage. Disparities occur across many dimensions, including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, location, gender, disability status, and sexual orientation.
Why do health and health care disparities matter?
Disparities in health and health care not only affect the groups facing disparities, but also limit overall gains in quality of care and health for the broader population and result in unnecessary costs. Addressing health disparities is increasingly important as the population becomes more diverse. It is projected that people of color will account for over half (52%) of the population in 2050.
What is the current status of disparities?
Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) lead to large coverage gains, some groups remain at higher risk of being uninsured, lacking access to care, and experiencing worse health outcomes. For example, as of 2018, Hispanics are two and a half times more likely to be uninsured than Whites (19.0% vs. 7.5%) and individuals with incomes below poverty are four times as likely to lack coverage as those with incomes at 400% of the federal poverty level or above (17.3% vs. 4.3%).
What are key initiatives to address disparities?
The ACA’s coverage expansions and funding for community health centers increased access to coverage and care for many groups facing disparities, and other provisions explicitly focused on reducing disparities. At the federal level, the Department of Health and Human Services is engaged in a range of actions to implement its 2011 action plan to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. States, local communities, private organizations, and providers also are engaged in efforts to reduce health disparities, which increasingly encompass a focus on social factors influencing health.
What are current challenges to addressing disparities?
Recent policy changes and current priorities may lead to coverage declines moving forward. Beyond coverage, there are an array of other challenges to addressing disparities, including limited capacity to address social determinants of health, declines in funding for prevention and public health and health care workforce initiatives, and ongoing gaps in data to measure and understand disparities.