HHS, National Business Group on Health Announce Project To Address Racial, Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
The Office of Minority Health at HHS and the National Business Group on Health on Monday announced a two-year, $300,000 project that seeks to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care for minorities enrolled in employer-sponsored health plans, CQ HealthBeat reports.
The project, an extension of the National Partnership for Action launched by OMH and HHS, will educate employers about disparities in health care for minorities and will recommend steps to address the issue. Such steps include the use of health plans that have networks of ethnically representative providers and the establishment of on-site health clinics for minorities, many of whom are unlikely to visit physicians.
NBGH President Helen Darling said, "Most employers would be dismayed to learn that while their contribution is equal, the care is not." In addition, she said, "Having coverage doesn't solve the problem" of disparities in health care, adding, "It's no longer enough to provide the same benefits and hope everything works out" (Walker, CQ HealthBeat, 2/11).