Native Americans. However, race and ethnicity are not the only determinants of inequity or disparities in health. The creation of the Connecticut Health Equity Index effort is based on research pointing to the importance of gender, employment status, poverty, homelessness, disability, language, and sexual orientation as important indicators of poor health outcomes. Social factors, when combined with racial and ethnic minority status, can result in reduced access to quality health care and disparities in health outcomes when compared to those who do not share these characteristics. Why is Health Equity Important In the past several decades, there has been growing concern about the poor health outcomes of minority populations. In 2002, Congress asked the Institute of Medicine assess “to the quality and extent of racial and ethnic differences in the quality of health care received by patients, not attributable to known factors such as access to care, ability to pay, or insurance coverage..[and to] evaluate potential sources of these disparities, including the role of bias, discrimination, and stereotyping at the provider, patient, institutional, and health system levels…” The research literature examined for the report of the Institute of Medicine revealed several examples of evidence substantiating racial and ethnic differences in diagnosis, treatment and care. The racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular care provided the strongest evidence of disparities. At least one researcher found that the differences in treatment between minorities and Caucasians were not the result of the severity of the disease or overuse by Caucasians. In fact, treatments such as coronary revascularization more often resulted in the death of African Americans than Caucasians. Other studies revealed similar kinds of disparities. African Americans with HIV infection were less likely than non-minorities to receive antiretroviral treatment. Prophylaxis for pneumocystic pneumonia and protease inhibitors were also inequitably provided to African Americans with HIV. Despite access to care, differences in the quality of care for African Americans with HIV have been associated with a poorer survival
Native Americans. However, race and ethnicity are not the only determinants of inequity or disparities in health. The creation of the Connecticut Health Equity Index effort is based on research pointing to the importance of gender, employment status, poverty, homelessness, disability, language, and sexual orientation as important indicators of poor health outcomes. Social factors, when combined with racial and ethnic minority status, can result in reduced access to quality health care and disparities in health outcomes when compared to those who do not share these characteristics. Why is Health Equity Important In the past several decades, there has been growing concern about the poor health outcomes of minority populations. In 2002, Congress asked the Institute of Medicine “to assess the quality and extent of racial and ethnic differences in the quality of health care received by patients, not attributable to known factors such as access to care, ability to pay, or insurance coverage..[and to] evaluate potential sources of these disparities, including the role of bias, discrimination, and stereotyping at the provider, patient, institutional, and health system levels…” The research literature examined for the report of the Institute of Medicine revealed several examples of evidence substantiating racial and ethnic differences in diagnosis, treatment and care. The racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular care provided the strongest evidence of disparities. At least one researcher found that the differences in treatment between minorities and Caucasians were not the result of the severity of the disease or overuse by Caucasians. In fact, treatments such as coronary revascularization more often resulted in the death of African Americans than Caucasians. Other studies revealed similar kinds of disparities. African Americans with HIV infection were less likely than non-minorities to receive antiretroviral treatment. Prophylaxis for pneumocystic pneumonia and protease inhibitors were also inequitably provided to African Americans with HIV. Despite access to care, differences in the quality of care for African Americans with HIV have been associated with a poorer survival
commission_on_health_equity_annual_report.docx