Health Disparities Among Minorities A Pervasive Problem...

Health Disparities Amongst Minorities Minority health disparities continue to be a pervasive problem within the United States.The Institute of Medicine defines disparity as, â€Å"differences in treatment provided to members of different racial or ethnic groups that are not justified by underlying health conditions or preferences† (Snowden 526). Despite adjustments made to access-related factors, insurance and income, minorities still tend receive lower-quality health care than whites (Flores, Olsen and Tomany-Korman 183). According to the Centers for Disease Control, â€Å"Relatively little progress has been made toward the goal of eliminating racial/ethnic disparities† (Gronman and Ginsburg 226). In this paper, I will describe the different health disparities that racial, ethnic and sexual minorities experience throughout their lives. I will then discuss the policies health care providers and government entities have put in place in order to eliminate the disparities between minorities and whites. Health disparities can start as early as within the womb. White women are twice as likely to access prenatal care in the first few months of pregnancy than minority women. Hispanic mothers are 2.5 times more likely to not receive any type of prenatal care compared to white mothers. African American women have the highest infant mortality rate in the country. They are twice as likely to have an infant die than white women. African American babies are four times more likely to die from