The Right to Equal Treatment

An Action Plan to End Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment in the United States

While the health status of all American population groups has improved dramatically over the past six decades, the gaps between whites and minorities—African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and some Asian subgroups—have persisted and, on some indicators, widened. These racial and ethnic minorities live sicker and die younger. Disparities in health status are the consequence of environmental factors, behavioral risk factors, and lack of access to medical care. A significant contribution is also made by racial and ethnic disparities in medical care. Physicians for Human Rights convened a prestigious Panel on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Medical Care to examine evidence of disparities in medical care occurring across the full spectrum of disease categories. The Panel suggests a sustained campaign, shaped by an action plan widely involving government, private sector, professional medical and health care organizations, academic medical centers, and others. This is the panel's report.

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