High-quality health care: the essential route to eliminating disparities and achieving health equity

Abstract

In the past decade and a half, the United States has witnessed major advances in the recognition and reporting of health and health care disparities. Now is the time to move beyond describing these disparities to actually eliminating them. Because of the interlocking nature of disparities in health, disparities in health care, and the role of social determinants, there is a need to focus our efforts on one primary goal: achieving health equity by securing access for the entire population to the highest possible quality of health care. Access to high-quality care for populations of color can have the same impact as it has for majority populations: improving population health, improving patients' experiences of care, and reducing health care costs.