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Clinical Uncertainty And Healthcare Disparities, Maxwell Gregg Bloche, Ana I. Balsa, Thomas G. Mcguire, Naomi Seiler

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Institute of Medicine Report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities, affirms in its first finding: "Racial and ethnic disparities in health care exist and, because they are associated with worse outcomes in many cases, are unacceptable." The mechanisms that generate racial and ethnic disparities in medical care operate at the levels of the health care system and the clinical encounter. Research demonstrates the role of health care system factors, including differences in insurance coverage and other determinants of healthcare access, in producing disparities. Research also shows, however, that even when insurance status and other measures of access are …