Return to the blog »

The White House tackles disparities

Posted by: Rea Pañares on Jun 11, 2009

Yesterday, I had the privilege of participating in the White House Stakeholder Discussion on Health Disparities and I wanted to tell you about it.

For someone who has been working on the issue of disparities for the greater part of my career, I found it encouraging to see so many familiar faces alongside our new leaders in the Administration: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, and Tina Tchen. Even more heartening, though, was the feeling that this was just one of many conversations with the Administration about how to make sure the care you receive is not determined by the color or your skin, your zip code, or your income.

The conversation focused heavily on identifying solutions: from expanding access and coverage to diversifying the health care workforce to improving data about which groups are healthy and which aren't (particularly for often-overlooked populations). But one thing was clear: We have an amazing opportunity to close the gap and move closer to the ultimate goal of health equity.

Many in the room agreed the "health care reform has been a long time coming." In the next few weeks, our leaders in Congress and the Administration will work out the details of how to improve our health care system and make sure it's accessible to everyone. And while all of us in the room acknowledged that the fight for health equity will continue long-after the President signs on the dotted line, we know this stage of the fight is critical, and we're ready.