April is National Minority Health Month, a time to emphasize the importance of improving health care in racial and ethnic minority communities. 

Health disparities undermine the health of impacted communities, drive up government, employer, insurer and community health and disability costs, and create needless suffering. 

While different organizations and studies use different definitions, health and health care disparities generally refer to differences in health and health care between groups that stem from broader inequities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines health disparities as “preventable differences in the burden, disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups and communities.”

Healthy People 2030 defines a health disparity, as “a particular type of health difference that is linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage,” and that adversely affects groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health.

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that although health care is essential to health, research shows that health outcomes are driven by multiple factors, including underlying genetics, health behaviors, social and environmental factors, and access to health care.

While there is currently no consensus in the research on the magnitude of the relative contributions of each of these factors to health, studies suggest that health behaviors and social and economic factors, often referred to as social determinants of health, are the primary drivers of health outcomes and that social and economic factors shape individuals’ health behaviors. Moreover, racism negatively affects mental and physical health both directly and by creating inequities across the social determinants of health.

Helping to reduce health disparities begins with increasing awareness about health disparities that disproportionately impact people from historically marginalized communities, and by sharing resources to help.

Minority and underserved communities often face greater health care challenges including limited access to care, higher rates of chronic conditions, and worse health outcomes, as well as stigma and discrimination in health care settings. For example:

• Black people are 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease, 50 percent more likely to have a stroke, and 30 percent more likely to have asthma.
• Compared to non-Hispanic White persons, Hispanic individuals are 70 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes by a physician and 1.2 times more likely to be obese.

Sometimes disparities are not from disease or actual care but arise from differences between groups in health insurance coverage, affordability, access to and use of care, and quality of care.

Help bring awareness to the health disparities impacting these diverse communities by sharing and making available the following responses from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services:

• CMS Framework for Health Equity 2022–2032
• CMS Framework for Advancing Health Care in Rural, Tribal, and Geographically Isolated Communities
• CMS Health Equity webpage
• CMS Strategic Plan: Health Equity
• Mapping Medicare Disparities Tool
• Health Equity Technical Assistance Program
• US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, National Minority Health Month

For Additional Information

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If you need have questions or need assistance with this or other cybersecurity, health, benefit, payroll, investment or other data, systems or other privacy or security related risk management, compliance, enforcement or management concerns, to inquire about arranging for compliance audit or training, or need legal representation on other matters,  contact the author Cynthia Marcotte Stamer via e-mail or via telephone at (214) 452 -8297. 

About the Author 

Cynthia Marcotte Stamer is a practicing attorney board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and management consultant, author, public policy advocate and lecturer widely known for 35 plus years of employee benefit, managed care and other health and insurance industry, workforce and other management work, public policy leadership and advocacy, coaching, teachings, and publications.

A Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefit Counsel, Co-Chair of the American Bar Association (“ABA”) International Section Life Sciences and Health Committee and Vice-Chair Elect of its International Employment Law Committee, Chair-Elect of the ABA TIPS Section Medicine & Law Committee, Past Chair of the ABA Managed Care & Insurance Interest Group, Scribe for the ABA JCEB Annual Agency Meeting with HHS-OCR, past chair of the ABA RPTE Employee Benefits & Other Compensation Group and current co-Chair of its Welfare Benefit Committee, and Chair of the ABA Intellectual Property Section Law Practice Management Committee, Ms. Stamer is most widely recognized for her decades of pragmatic, leading-edge work, scholarship and thought leadership on heath benefit and other healthcare and life science, managed care and insurance and other workforce and staffing, employee benefits, safety, contracting, quality assurance, compliance and risk management, and other legal, public policy and operational concerns in the healthcare and life sciences, employee benefits, managed care and insurance, technology and other related industries. She speaks and publishes extensively on these and other related compliance issues.

Ms. Stamer’s work throughout her career has focused heavily on working with health care and managed care, life sciences, health and other employee benefit plan, insurance and financial services and other public and private organizations and their technology, data, and other service providers and advisors domestically and internationally with legal and operational compliance and risk management, performance and workforce management, regulatory and public policy and other legal and operational concerns. Author of a multitude of highly regarded publications on HIPAA and other medical record and data privacy and scribe for the ABA JCEB Annual Meeting with the HHS Office of Civil Rights, her experience includes extensive involvement throughout her career in advising health care and life sciences and other clients about preventing, investigating and defending EEOC, DOJ, OFCCP and other Civil Rights Act, Section 1557 and other HHS, HUD, banking, and other federal and state discrimination investigations, audits, lawsuits and other enforcement actions as well as advocacy before Congress and regulators regarding federal and state equal opportunity, equity and other laws. 

For more information about Ms. Stamer or her health industry and other experience and involvements, see www.cynthiastamer.com or contact Ms. Stamer via telephone at (214) 452-8297 or via e-mail here. 

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