HHS Action Plan to Reduce
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
A NAtioN free of dispArities
iN heAlth ANd heAlth cAre
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Nation Free of Disparities in Health and Health Care
Introduction and Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX1
New Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX7
Vision and Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX11
Overarching Secretarial Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX12
Goal I: Transform Health Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX15
Goal II: Strengthen the Nation’s Health and Human Services Infrastructure
and Workforce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX19
Goal III: Advance the Health, Safety, and Well-Being of the American People . . . . XXXXXXXXXX25
Goal IV: Advance Scientific Knowledge and Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX29
Goal V: Increase Efficiency, Transparency, and Accountability of HHS Programs . XXXXXXXXXX33
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX35
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX36
Appendix A: Provisions of the Affordable Care Act that Address Health Disparities XXXXXXXXXX
Appendix B: Key Opportunities to Advance Health Disparity Reduction at HHS . . XXXXXXXXXX42
Appendix C: Key Disparity Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX44
Appendix D: Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XXXXXXXXXX45
1 A Nation Free of Disparities in Health and Health Care
INTrODuCTION AND BACkgrOuND
Introduction and Background
“It is time to refocus, reinforce,
and repeat the message that
health disparities exist and that
health equity benefits everyone.”
– Kathleen G. Sebelius, Secretary,
Health & Human Services
Medical advances and new technologies have provided people in
America with the potential for longer, healthier lives more than ever
efore. However, persistent and well-documented health disparities
exist between different racial and ethnic populations and health equity
emains elusive. Health disparities — differences in health outcomes
that are closely linked with social, economic, and environmental
disadvantage — are often driven by the social conditions in which
individuals live, learn, work and play. This document provides a
ief
overview of racial and ethnic health disparities and unveils a Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) Action Plan to Reduce Racial and
Ethnic Health Disparities (“HHS Disparities Action Plan”).
The HHS Disparities Action Plan complements the 2011 National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving
Health Equity, a product of the National Partnership for Action (“NPA Stakeholder Strategy”). The NPA
Stakeholder Strategy reflects the commitment of thousands of individuals across the country in almost
every sector. It resulted from a public-private collaboration that solicited
oad community input with the
assistance of state and local government and Federal agencies. The NPA Stakeholder Strategy proposes
a comprehensive, community-driven approach to reduce health disparities in the U.S. and achieve health
equity through collaboration and synergy. Now, this first-ever HHS Disparities Action Plan and the NPA
Stakeholder Strategy can be used together to coordinate action that will effectively address racial and
ethnic health disparities across the country. Furthermore, the HHS Disparities Action Plan builds on national
health disparities’ goals and objectives recently unveiled in Healthy People 2020, and leverages key
provisions of the Affordable Care Act and other cutting-edge HHS initiatives.
With the HHS Disparities Action Plan, the Department commits to continuously assessing the impact of
all policies and programs on racial and