Five years ago, the Affordable Care Act created a remarkable opportunity in the movement to reduce health disparities and achieve health equity. In addition to expanding access to quality, affordable coverage for millions of uninsured Americans, it provided the foundation for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (HHS Disparities Action Plan) —the most comprehensive federal commitment to addressing health disparities.
The HHS Disparities Action Plan engages agencies and offices across the Department in addressing the multitude of individual and system-level barriers to quality health and health care. To highlight HHS’ efforts to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations and strengthen the nation’s capacity to advance health equity, the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) recently released the Implementation Progress Report of the HHS Disparities Action Plan .
The report shows that whether HHS is addressing disparities in access to care, improving quality of care, enhancing workforce diversity and cultural competency, advancing community-based approaches that promote health and wellness, improving data collection and reporting on minority populations, or advancing research on racial and ethnic health disparities, we are taking health equity into consideration.
Since the HHS Disparities Action Plan was launched in 2011, OMH has been busy ensuring HHS is on track to meet the goals set forth. There is a breadth of activity that is taking place across HHS to advance health equity, from new standards in data collection to enhanced National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards) to health disparities impact statements in grant applications.
I encourage you to view the report for yourself—HHS is committed to developing and implementing programs and policies that provide all Americans with the chance to live the healthiest lives possible. With your shared commitment to health equity, together we can achieve a nation free of disparities in health and health care.
To view the HHS Disparities Action Plan and the Implementation Progress Report, please visit www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov.