![]() ![]() The terms “health inequality” and “inequity” also are used to refer to disparities. Healthy People 2020 defines a health disparity as, “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage” and notes that disparities, “adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their racial or ethnic group religion socioeconomic status gender age mental health cognitive, sensory, or physical disability sexual orientation or gender identity geographic location or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies health disparities as, “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.” A health care disparity typically refers to differences between groups in health insurance coverage, access to and use of care, and quality of care. There are multiple definitions of health disparities. Health and health care disparities refer to differences in health and health care between groups that stem from broader inequities. What are health and health care disparities? This brief provides an introduction to what health and health care disparities are, the status of disparities and how COVID-19 has affected them, the broader implications of disparities, and current federal efforts to advance health equity. Moreover, narrowing health disparities is key to improving our nation’s overall health and reducing unnecessary health care costs. Addressing these inequities could help to mitigate the disparate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent further widening of health disparities going forward. They have been documented for decades and reflect longstanding structural and systemic inequities rooted in racism and discrimination. However, health and health care disparities are not new. The disparate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing incidents of police brutality, and recent rise in Asian hate crimes have brought health and health care disparities into sharper focus among the media and public.
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