“Piecemeal solutions are no longer an option. It is time for a complete transformation of the health care system to promote unbiased structures and processes to advance equitable access to quality health care for all.”
– National Health Council Consensus Statement on Health Equity
Hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually. Millions of Americans needlessly struggling with disabilities and chronic diseases. Hundreds of billions squandered in excess health expenditures. The cost of continued inaction on health inequities is not only crippling families and communities, but is also exacting a staggering financial and moral toll on our nation. Last week, the National Health Council, a nonprofit association of primarily patient-driven health organizations, including the Celiac Disease Foundation, released a health equity consensus statement addressing these issues. The Foundation is proud to support this effort and join as a signatory on this statement. Its provisions include work to:
- Promote an inclusive, equitable, accessible, and high-quality care delivery system;
- Advocate for equitable access to affordable and comprehensive health insurance coverage;
- Partner with organizations that have a track record in addressing social drivers of health to reduce health inequities;
- Collaborate with the biomedical and health-services research and the health economics ecosystem to support equity in development and valuation of new and innovative treatments and services.
- Improve collection and reporting of demographic data in research to include race/ethnicity, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, and other factors to help identify and eliminate biases; and
- Advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in my organization and the patient advocacy community.
Fixing America’s health inequities is a complex, difficult, but absolutely necessary step to fixing our healthcare system. We will be working with our partners across healthcare to advance this objective, and we welcome your comments.
Why HHS? Here is the Agency List.