Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
Authors: Charles K. Francis
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Letters18 January 2005Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health CareCharles K. Francis, MDCharles K. Francis, MDFrom the American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, PA.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-2-200501180-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Regarding Dr. Nassar's comments, the College views the elimination of disparities in health care as one of many important steps needed to decrease the number of the uninsured and increase access to good-quality health care. Lack of insurance does not exclusively affect minorities. Although minorities are at greater risk for being uninsured, white persons make up 75% of the uninsured population in the United States (1). Lack of insurance is more a reflection of socioeconomics, including the financial ability of employers to supply insurance and of employees to purchase insurance. Low-income Americans are at the highest risk for ...References1. U.S. Census Bureau. Historic Health Insurance Tables. Table HI-1: Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin: 1987 to 2003. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau; 2003. Accessed at www.census.gov/hhes/hlthins/historic/hihistt1.html on 24 November 2004. Google Scholar2. The Uninsured and Their Access to Health Care. Kaiser Commission on Key Facts. January 2003. Accessed at www.kff.org/uninsured/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=14185 on 24 November 2004. Google Scholar3. Achieving Affordable Health Insurance Coverage for All within Seven Years: A Proposal from America's Internists. Philadelphia: American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine; 9 April 2002. Accessed at www.acponline.org/hpp/afford_7years.pdf on 11 October 2004. Google Scholar4. Minority acceptances to medical school would drop by 80% without affirmative action [Press release]. Washington, DC: American Assoc of Medical Colleges; 3 April 1998. Google Scholar5. More apply to U.S. medical schools [Press release]. Washington, DC: American Assoc of Medical Colleges; 20 October 2004. Accessed at www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2004/041020.htm on 1 November 2004. Diabetes Care in the Veterans Affairs System and in Managed Care Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, PA. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoRacial and Ethnic Disparities in Health CareRacial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care M. E. Nassar Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care Kenneth L. Cohen Metrics 18 January 2005Volume 142, Issue 2Page: 153-154KeywordsHealth careHealth care providersHealth disparitiesHealth insuranceHealth services researchHispanic peopleMedical educationResearch quality assessmentSafety ePublished: 18 January 2005 Issue Published: 18 January 2005 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...