Press Release

Health Insurance Plans Make Strides in Addressing Gaps in Care Experienced by Minorities in U.S.

RWJF/AHIP Study Finds Progress in Gathering Data on Race and Ethnicity Needed To Ensure Minorities Get Recommended Standard of Care But Challenges Remain

(Washington, D.C.) – Americans receive health care services that are in sync with the latest scientific evidence only about half the time. Studies also find that racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. receive a lower quality of care than non-minorities and are at greater risk for certain diseases. There is widespread agreement that data are fundamental building blocks to identifying differences in the care experienced by specific populations, to developing programs to address differences, and to ensuring a higher standard of care.  

According to a new study released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), two-thirds of consumers receive their coverage from an organization that collects data on the race and ethnicity of members, up from just over half three years ago. Prior to an original 2003 survey, national studies had identified very few providers or institutions that were addressing disparities in care using a data-driven, quality improvement approach.

“We need to ensure that all patients – regardless of race and ethnicity – receive high-quality health care,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., RWJF president and CEO. “Collecting data by patient race and ethnicity is an essential step, because it allows us to identify disparities in quality of care and design solutions to address them. Health insurers have a key role to play in this effort and this survey shows that progress is being made.”

Forty-two percent of the companies that collect data on race and ethnicity report identifying disparities, including differences in treatment of chronic conditions, lack of medication adherence, and differences in prevalence of chronic conditions. AHIP is now building an on-line clearinghouse of approaches that work to reduce such disparities.

“Our members are taking on the challenge of health care disparities,” said AHIP President and CEO Karen Ignagni. “AHIP intends to serve as a hub for exchanging information on what is working to overcome gaps in care experienced by minorities in our health care system,” she said.

Under an RWJF grant, AHIP conducted follow-up to the 2003 work to assess the extent to which plans collect and use data on race and ethnicity, examine trends and emerging issues, and highlight barriers to data collection. The survey, which included companies that provide coverage to employer groups as well as those that provide coverage to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, elicited responses from 156 plans out of a total of 260 plans surveyed. Companies that responded represent 87 million members. 

Companies report collecting data on race and ethnicity of members to support language and culturally appropriate communications, identify disparities in health care and health, and implement or strengthen quality improvements efforts. Collecting data on the primary language of enrollees also allows plans to determine the need for translation of materials and interpreter services, and to ensure the network of providers speaking enrollees’ language is adequate.

While the new RWJF/AHIP study suggests significant progress, companies continue to cite barriers to data collection, especially concerns about the perceptions of members and local communities, difficulties in obtaining reliable data, and questions about limitations that may exist in state law or regulation.

Following the 2003 survey, AHIP conducted seminars around the country for health care organizations interested in taking the first steps to using data as the foundation for quality improvement, and subsequently published a tool kit, available on-line, called “Data as Building Blocks for Change.”

While data are fundamental to quality improvement, a challenge to the entire health care system is to employ what the Institute of Medicine’s 2002 report, Unequal Treatment, called “a comprehensive, multi-level strategy” to eliminate disparities. 

Thus, AHIP’s ongoing initiative, “Addressing Disparities in Health,” includes an on-line, continuing medical education course that provides physicians with the tools and skills to communicate more effectively with patients from diverse backgrounds, and an on-line compendium of communications resources available to organizations that are engaged in efforts to improve care for our nation’s culturally and racially diverse populations.

But collecting data on the populations an insurer serves is an essential step to addressing gaps in care often experienced by racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. According to the RWJF/AHIP surveys, data are provided on a voluntary basis at various points of access, including the time of enrollment in the insurance plan, at enrollment in a specialized program for an individual with chronic disease, and/or after enrollment.

 A complete analysis of the study is at www.ahip.org.

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America’s Health Insurance Plans – Providing Health Benefits to More Than 200 Million Americans

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Providing Health Benefits for Over 200 Million Americans.