The Health Disparities Myth
AEI - Short Publications
A new monograph by Jonathan Klick of Florida State University and AEI's Sally Satel, The Health Disparities Myth: Diagnosing the Treatment Gap (AEI Press, 2006) found no evidence to support the idea that racially biased doctors are a cause of poor minority health.
The notion of physician bias was popularized in 2002 by a report from the Institute of Medicine called "Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care."
According to Klick and Satel, the charge of bias is divisive and siphons energy and resources from efforts to improve minority health, such as expanding access to high-quality care and facilitating changes in individuals' lifestyles and their capacity to manage chronic disease.
For the authors, a true public health solution to inadequate care would focus resources on improving the quality of care and self-care regardless of race.
