Report: Minorities, Especially Latinos, Experience Inequalities in Health, Access to Care

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screeningDespite slow improvements in the quality of care overall, access is worsening and health care disparities, particularly for minorities and groups with lower socioeconomic status, have seen little to no improvement, according to a new report.

The report, the 11th annual National Healthcare Disparities Report, is conducted annually by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), found that, compared with whites, racial/ethnic minorities receive worse care across 25-40% of quality measures.

Poor and low-income people receive worse care than individuals with high income for about 60% of quality measures.

These disparities are even more pronounced for measures of health care access, and among particular racial/ethnic groups.

Hispanics had worse access to care than Whites for about 60% of measures.

Blacks and Hispanics received worse care than Whites for about 40% of quality measures.

The report concludes:

“To remain competitive, our nation needs to improve access to care, reduce disparities, and accelerate the pace of quality improvement, especially in the areas of preventive care and chronic disease management.”

By The Numbers By The Numbers

25.1

percent

of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage

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