Medical advances and new technologies have provided people in
America with the potential for longer, healthier lives more than ever
before. However, persistent and well-documented health disparities
exist between different racial and ethnic populations and health equity
remains elusive. Health disparities — differences in health outcomes
that are closely linked with social, economic, and environmental
disadvantage — are often driven by the social conditions in which
individuals live, learn, work and play. This document provides a brief
overview of racial and ethnic health disparities and unveils a Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) Action Plan to Reduce Racial and
Ethnic Health Disparities (“HHS Disparities Action Plan”).