U.S. health care reform initiatives don’t go far enough, researchers say. According to Drs. Matthew M. Davis and Jennifer K. Walter, both of the University of Michigan Health System, health care reform does not take into consideration the disparities that exist among race, ethnicity, sex, social class and insurance status, UPI reports.
"Individuals deserve health care that is not only of high quality but of high quality for all," Davis told UPI in a statement. "If we don't address disparities in health and health care, we will fundamentally limit how much health care quality can improve."
U.S. childhood vaccination efforts shows how effective policies can be when disparities are tackled head-on, Davis added. "A generation ago, many disadvantaged kids died of measles in the inner cities of the U.S., essentially because our vaccination efforts were of poor quality," Davis continued.
"But today, with a clear priority on measuring and fixing those disparities through lots of hard work, we now have substantially reduced disparities and improved our quality in childhood vaccination," Davis said.
