Understanding disparities in health care access--and reducing them--through a focus on public health

Health Aff (Millwood). 2011 Oct;30(10):1844-51. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0644.

Abstract

Attempts to explain disparities in access to health care faced by racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved populations often focus on individual-level factors such as demographics, personal health beliefs, and health insurance status. This article proposes an examination of these disparities-and an effort to redress them-through the lens of public health. Public health agencies can link people to needed services such as immunizations, testing, and treatment; ensure the availability of health care; ensure the competency of the public health and personal health care workforce; and evaluate the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based services. Approaching disparities through a public health framework can provide the foundation for developing more robust evidence to inform additional policies for improving access and reducing disparities.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Attitude to Health
  • Health Behavior
  • Health Services Accessibility*
  • Health Services Needs and Demand
  • Health Status Disparities*
  • Healthcare Disparities / ethnology*
  • Humans
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Medically Uninsured / ethnology
  • Minority Health / ethnology*
  • Public Health*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • United States