Health disparities cost the US billions every year

Health disparities cost the United States an estimated $320 billion in unnecessary spending every year—and this number could increase to $1 trillion by 2040 if changes are not made, according to a new report by Deloitte.

Cheat sheet: Health disparities at the point of care

Report details and key findings

For the report, researchers developed a model to project the costs of unnecessary health care spending among populations that experience socioeconomic, racial, and sex/gender inequities.

In particular, the model examined the impact of several high-cost conditions, including breast cancer, diabetes, colorectal cancer, asthma, and cardiovascular disease, and determined how much of their spending could be attributed to health inequities. The model also factored...