Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity & Medical Care

Abstract

This update of Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity, and Medical Care, like its predecessors, is intended to serve as a quick reference source on the health, health insurance coverage, access and quality of health care of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. The document highlights some of the best available data and research in these areas. Since the first edition of Key Facts in 1999, the issue of racial/ethnic disparities in health care has received a significant level of attention. The Institute of Medicine released Unequal Treatment in 2002 summarizing the research to date on racial and ethnic disparities in health care and offering guidance as to what questions remained unanswered and what information was needed to answer those questions. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released the first National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) in 2003. The report, which is issued annually by AHRQ, provides a comprehensive review of disparities in health care among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups in the United States.