Health Affairs, 27, no. 2 (2008): 373 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.27.2.373 © 2008 by Project HOPE	New Online   Pay Cuts For Medicare Docs   Access To Care Woes   Public Coverage More Efficient   Empowering Consumers

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Definitions & Data

PROLOGUE

Health Disparities: Definitions And Data

How do you define disparity? Is it one of those concepts best described as, "I know it when I see it" (Jacobellis v. Ohio, 1964), but deliberately left vague? Most observers of U.S. health care today acknowledge that there are disparities in health status and outcomes. African Americans, American Indians, and other racial and ethnic groups live shorter lives with a greater burden of ill health than white Americans. But why is this a disparity? Is disparity merely a difference between two groups, or is it a difference with negative and even malignant connotations? Researchers struggle with this . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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