- Winter 2004 -

AMA Committed to Eliminating Health Care Disparities

“The AMA remains strongly committed to eliminating racial and ethnic health care disparities,” states AMA President Donald J. Palmisano, MD, citing a recent report from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

The HSC report shows that African-American Medicare beneficiaries are more than twice as likely as whites to report they cannot afford prescription medications. Nearly one in six African-American beneficiaries did not fill at least one prescription in the last year because of cost, compared with one in 15 whites.

The AMA, through the Minority Affairs Consortium; Health Care Disparities program; and other research, awareness, education, and advocacy activities, is working to address the disparities in health care access and outcomes experienced by African Americans and other minority groups.

To read the report, log onto www.hschange.com/CONTENT/587. To read Palmisano’s statement, go to www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/article/1617-7907.html.