Health inequalities in USA

There is a gap between high-quality care and the people who need it most.

Key Points

Highlights:

• There is a gap between high-quality care and the people who need it most.
• Clinicians who are working with women, especially obstetricians and gynecologists have to try to reduce the burden of disease and poor outcomes of the patients.

Importance:

• Reducing racial disparities in adverse pregnancy outcomes may generate health care cost savings of up to $214 million per year.

What's done here:

• Health disparity in the American nation is underlined.

Key Results:

• Health inequalities cause suffering as well as greater health costs.
• Maryland Health Improvement and Disparities Reduction Act were passed in order to reduce health inequalities.

Lay Summary

Dr. E. Albert Reece, the vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, specialized in maternal and fetal medicine, wrote on health disparities in the American nation, in Obstetrics and Gynecology News, on the website www.mdedge.com, in June 2017.

"Health disparities, or inequities, translate not only into greater suffering for certain segments of the population, but also to significantly greater health care costs for everyone. Racial health disparities are associated with an estimated $35 billion annually in excess expenditures, $10 billion in lost productivity, and nearly $200 billion in premature deaths, according to an article in the Harvard Business Review" Dr. Reece says.

Residents with lower-income are more in need of hospitalization for asthma, hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. They also more often face infertility, preterm birth, and fetal death.

Heath disparities cause suffering for certain segments of the population as well as greater health costs.

Maryland Health Improvement and Disparities Reduction Act were passed in order to reduce health inequalities.

Issues with literacy, personal security, or reliable transportation to get to doctors’ appointments may be other obstacles to good health.

"As obstetrician and gynecologists, we have a moral responsibility to reduce the burden of disease and poor pregnancy outcomes in our patients" he concluded. 

Research Source: https://www.mdedge.com/obgyn/article/138926/obstetrics/health-inequities-take-societal-toll