The Impact of Health Care Expenses

High health care expenses impact poor people at a rate of five times that of high-income earners.

Source:  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Chronic Illness Disparities

Elevated rates of chronic illness due to health disparities will cost the U.S. health care system an estimated $337 billion from 2009-2018. About $220 billion of that cost will be incurred by Medicare.

Source:  The Urban Institute

High Rates of Tobacco Use

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. Cigarette smoking is on the decline, significantly with increasing incomes and educational attainment. The highest rates are among American Indian adults at 42 percent, people with less than a high school diploma at 32 percent, and people living below the poverty line at 36.5 percent.

Source:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbirth Rates

Pregnancy and childbirth rates among adolescents have been falling or holding steady for all racial/ethnic minorities. However, disparities persist as birth rates for Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks are 3 and 2.5 times those of whites, respectively.

Source:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Infant Mortality Rates

Large disparities in infant mortality rates persist. From 2000 - 2007, infants born to black women are 1.5 to 3 times more likely to die than those born to women of other races and ethnicities.

Source:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Black Population has Higher Death Rate

In 2009, the age-adjusted death rate for the non-Hispanic black population was 26.6 percent higher than that of the non-Hispanic white population.

Source:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Minorities Experience Higher Rates of Illness and Death

At no time in U.S. history has the health status of minority populations equaled or even approximated that of whites. With few exceptions, all racial and ethnic minorities experience higher rates of illness and death than non-minorities.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Disparities Among Minorities in Health and Health Care

Racial and ethnic minorities suffer from worse health and receive lower-quality care than whites--regardless of where they live, their income or their health insurance coverage.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Crowded Care for the Elderly

The 25 percent of hospitals that are the most crowded care for nearly 90 percent of elderly African-Americans.

Source:  Archives of Internal Medicine

More Leg Amputations for African Americans

African Americans are four times more likely than whites to undergo a leg amputation (a devastating complication of diabetes) or develop peripheral vascular disease (an illness of the blood vessels).

Source:  The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care

Worse Cardiovascular Care

African Americans are less likely to receive recommended cardiovascular medications like beta blockers, blood clot drugs or aspirin.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Appropriate Procedures and Therapies

African-Americans with coronary artery disease or heart attacks are significantly less likely than whites to receive appropriate procedures or therapies.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Hispanics Less Likely to Get Major Procedures

Hispanics are less likely than non-Hispanics to receive major procedures in 38 of 63 different disease categories.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Inequities in Therapeutic Care

African Americans are significantly less likely than whites to receive major therapeutic procedures in almost half of 77 disease categories.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Disparities in Cardiac Care

Minorities are less likely to be given appropriate cardiac medications or undergo bypass surgery.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Unequal Quality of Care

Even when access to care is equal, racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive a lower quality of health care than whites.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Diabetes Causes More Deaths for Hispanics

Hispanics are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Disproportionate Deaths Among American Indians

American Indians disproportionately die from diabetes, liver disease and cirrhosis, and unintentional injuries.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

More Deaths from Disease

Afican Americans die more frequently from heart disease, cancer, diseased blood vessels in the brain and HIV/AIDS than any other U.S. racial or ethnic group.

Source:  Institute of Medicine

Communities of Color are More Likely to be Uninsured

People from communities of color are more likely to be uninsured. In 2009, 32.4 percent of Hispanics; 21 percent of African Americans; and 17.2 percent of Asians were uninsured compared with 12 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau