WASHINGTON
For years minority health advocates have made a social justice argument to bring national attention to health disparities affecting minority Americans, but now they have an economic one.
Researchers commissioned by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released a report Thursday, calculating the combined costs of health inequalities and premature death in the nation to be $1.24 trillion between 2003 and 2006. During that time, minorities spent nearly $230 billion in excess medical care costs. The Joint Center is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that focuses on the concerns of African-Americans and communities of color.
“There is no question that reducing the health disparities can save incredible amounts of money — more importantly it can save lives," said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, adding that reducing health disparities is high on her administration’s agenda. “There's no single explanation for the disparities outlined in today's report. And there's no single solution either. But we know that the two biggest contributors to these disparities are a lack of access to insurance and a lack of access to care.”
