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Policy Challenges and Opportunities in Closing the Racial/Ethnic Divide in Health Care
March 2005

The Kaiser Family Foundation released an issue brief that highlights policy challenges and opportunities for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health care. The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) 2002 report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities, recommended the use of a comprehensive, multi-level strategy to address health care disparities. This brief reviews evidence underpinning five broad areas of policy initiatives that flow from the IOM recommendation:

• Raising public and provider awareness of racial/ethnic disparities in care;
• Expanding health insurance coverage;
• Improving the number and capacity of providers in underserved communities;
• Improving the quality of care; and
• Increasing the knowledge base on causes and interventions to reduce disparities.

This issue brief is available online.