RWJF Content Alert--A Closer Look at Disparities in Health Care

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October Issue of Health Affairs Features Studies Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Examining Causes, Consequences of Health Disparities

Health disparities are a serious problem in the United States.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported in April that racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to get the preventive care they need to stay healthy, more likely to suffer from serious illnesses, and when they do get sick, are less likely to have access to quality health care. The October issue of Health Affairs looks at disparities from a number of perspectives, featuring the work of several Scholars and experts funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Among the articles in the new issue:

• "Rising Closures of Hospital Trauma Centers Disproportionately Burden Vulnerable Populations"

RWJF Physician Faculty Scholar Renee Yuen-Jan Hsia and her co-author look at how closures of hospital trauma centers are affecting Blacks, people without insurance, people living in poverty and other disadvantaged communities. This research was supported by a grant from Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization, an RWJF initiative.

• "Undocumented Immigrants, Left Out of Health Reform, Likely to Continue to Grow as Share of the Uninsured"

Because they will not be eligible for public insurance or private coverage through exchanges under health reform, undocumented immigrants will eventually constitute a larger percentage of the nation's uninsured population. Funding for this research, authored by experts at the Urban Institute, was provided by Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization.
 

Learn more about this special issue of Health Affairs.