Many researchers working on health technology assessments (HTAs) are keen to address disparities in health care. But the COVID-19 pandemic and recent prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement have cast a bright spotlight on structural racism in the US and elsewhere, showing that addressing health disparities after they are established is both too late and…
Health equity is increasingly a priority for providers, and insurers can be a key partner in supporting those efforts, according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). More than half of health systems surveyed (58%) identified health equity as a top priority, up from 25% saying the same in 2019. Equity placed second to safety in the…
The fast-spreading Delta variant is the dominant strain of a virus many had hoped would be eradicated by now. COVID-19’s Delta variant was first identified in India in December of 2020. Now Delta accounts for 97 percent of new infections in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The growing impact of Delta…
When it was launched 56 years ago, Medicare became the first single-payer insurance program in the U.S., guaranteeing medical coverage to virtually every American once they turned 65. Medicare has proven to be a crucial feature of the U.S. safety net, providing healthcare services to tens of millions of Americans while helping to keep them…