Health Affairs February 17, 2023
The evidence of the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has galvanized calls for change and a renewed determination by local, state, and national regulatory bodies to make health care more equitable and reduce the long-standing disparities in health outcomes. The disproportionately detrimental effect on the health and well-being of various patient groups is not only a moral issue but also a threat to the sustainability of the US health care system. A recent estimate puts the cost of current US health inequities at approximately $320 billion. If left unchecked, the cost of health disparities could reach $1 trillion or more by 2040.
Addressing the deeply seated inequities within health care is a tremendous challenge, but the Centers for Medicare...