Health Disparities in US Take a Financial Toll: NIH Study

A study funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) has found that in 2018, racial and ethnic health disparities cost the US economy $451 billion, a 41% increase from the previous estimate of $320 billion in 2014. The study also found that the total burden of education-related health disparities for persons with less than a college degree in 2018 reached $978 billion, about two times greater than the annual growth rate of the US economy in 2018. The study is the first to estimate the total economic burden of health disparities for five racial and ethnic minority groups nationally and for all 50 states and the District of Columbia using a health equity approach.