What is Health Equity?
Equity is defined as the complete and unfettered access to opportunity among people who differ by race, social status, income, gender, geography and other forms of stratification. When applied to health care, Health Equity refers to an ideal system in which every person receives equal access to health care services and the best possible outcomes from medical treatment regardless of demographics or geographic location.
"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., March 25, 1966 at the second convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights in Chicago, IL.
(Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division).
What are Health Disparities?
Health Disparities refer to negative, yet preventable, health outcomes, such as increased rates of disease, injury or death, experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)*, health disparities result from the complex interplay of multiple socio-economic factors including "poverty, environmental threats, inadequate access to health care, individual and behavioral factors and educational inequalities."
Profiles of Major Population Groups in the United States **
| Ethnic Group | Population *** | Education | Income | % Covered by Health Insurance | Language | Health Concerns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caucasian (Non-Hispanic White) |
197 Million (60.7%) |
92.3% have a High School diploma 34.3% hold a bachelor's or higher |
$61,394 Median household income 10.4% live in poverty |
75.8% insured | English is the primary language spoken at home. |
Heart disease, |
|
Hispanic / Latinx |
56.5 Million (17.6%) |
66% have a High School diploma 14.8% hold a bachelor's or higher |
$44,782 Median household income 22.6% live in poverty |
47% insured |
73% speak a language other than English at home |
Obesity, |
| Black / African American |
40.7 Million (12.7%) |
84.8% have a High School diploma 20.2% hold a bachelor's or higher |
$36,515 Median household income 25.4% live in poverty |
54.4% insured |
English is the primary language spoken at home. |
Heart disease, |
| Asian American |
17.3 Million (5.4%) |
86.5% have a High School diploma 52.3% hold a bachelor's or higher |
$77,368 Median household income 12% live in poverty |
68.8% insured | 75.5% speak a language other than English at home |
Heart disease |
| American Indian / Alaskan Native |
5.2 Million (2%) |
82% have a High School diploma 17% hold a bachelor's or higher |
$37,353 Median household income 26% live in poverty |
47.5% insured |
20% speak a language other than English at home |
Infant death, |
| Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander |
1.3 Million (0.4%) |
88.8% have a High School diploma 20.2% hold a bachelor's or higher |
$60,133 Median household income 17.3% live in poverty |
66.4% insured | 28% speak a language other than English at home |
Smoking, |
*Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. "Health Disparities". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, August 17). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/disparities/index.htm#1.
**"Minority Population Profiles". U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. (2018, October 2). Retrieved from https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/minority-population-profiles
***"Population estimates July 1, 2018." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045218.