Health Care Equity

Catalog description

There is extensive documentation of socio-demographic inequity in health outcomes in the United States. People of color and those with lower incomes have consistently been found to have worse health outcomes compared with whites and those with higher incomes. While most nations have some level of health inequality, the equity gap in the United States is larger and more consistent than in other industrialized countries. This course will begin by examining the sources of racial/ethnic and income-based disparities in health care in the United States, including the history of segregation, bias and discrimination, and the fragmented health insurance system. In the latter part of the course we will explore the current approaches and policies to addressing inequality. Open to Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs students; others with Marxe School permission.