The fifth and final in a series of 2008 election briefs examines the issue of racial and ethnic disparities in health care – whether in insurance coverage, access, or quality of care.  The brief examines four broad policy areas for addressing racial and ethnic healthcare disparities and provides an overview of the presidential candidates' positions on the issue.  All of the series' previously released briefs can also be viewed online.

Marsha Lillie-Blanton, Dr.P.H., Kaiser senior advisor on race, ethnicity and health care, testified before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee about the role of health insurance in reducing disparities in health care and in health status.

A new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum examines the health coverage, access to health care and health status of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander ethnic groups in the United States, and finds that certain subgroups are doing much worse than others in terms of health insurance coverage and access to health care. For example, Korean Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are about twice as likely to be uninsured as whites.

This compendium summarizes about a dozen federal legislative initiatives introduced in the 110th Congress to address racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care.

This fact sheet provides an overview of the health of African American men, including mortality rates, health status, insurance coverage and access to care. 

This data update shows variation across states and racial and ethnic groups for six key health and health care indicators.

This publication serves as a quick reference source on health disparities, presenting the best available data and analysis.

This free, weekly report from kaisernetwork.org synthesizes news coverage from hundreds of print and broadcast news sources related to health and health care issues that affect racial and ethnic communities. The report also highlights new studies and journal articles, initiatives, developments in the field, and upcoming events.

This fact sheet highlights key information about the education, health and overall status of young African American men, including comparisons to other groups. It was released at a July 2006 event, "Paths to Success: A Forum on Young African American Men."

The first National Healthcare Disparities Report was issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2003. Now, three years later, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosts a forum to discuss what has been learned following the release of AHRQ's latest progress report on disparities, and how that information can guide us going forward.