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Comparing Health System Success: Achieving Health System Equity Through Global Learning

SpeakerS:

Dr. Siyamak Saleh, Medical doctor and content creator, WHO
Dr. Dave Chokshi, Sternberg Family Professor of Leadership, City University of New York
Dr. Uché Blackstock, Founder and CEO, Advancing Health Equity, and NYT Best-selling Author, LEGACY: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine
Reginald D. Williams II, Vice President, Commonwealth Fund

With Core Programming Partner

“We need to think about moving toward universal healthcare coverage so that everyone is covered, everyone has access to affordable healthcare, and then also focus on the social drivers of health.” Dr. Uché Blackstock
“They still do this thing called home visits in other countries where doctors come to the house and yes, they're focused there on meeting your healthcare needs, but then you see other things when you're there in someone's home that may be social needs that could be addressed, and the physician acts as a partner in helping the person live a healthy life.” Reginald D. Williams II
“One of the most important things that I think we can do, and again this is a learning from other countries, not just high-income countries but actually low-income countries as well, is community health workers.” Dr. Dave Chokshi

Key takeaways:

  • Historical policies have led to health inequities: Historical policies in the United States have deprived certain populations and communities of the resources needed to be healthy, contributing to deep health disparities along racial and socioeconomic lines.
  • Fragmented health insurance system: The U.S. health insurance system is fragmented and predominantly employer-sponsored, resulting in disproportionate rates of uninsured and underinsured individuals among people of color, who are more likely to work in jobs that do not offer health benefits.
  • Social determinants of health are critical: Factors such as housing, access to healthy food, education, and wealth inequity significantly impact health outcomes. Addressing these social drivers is essential for improving public health. 
  • Need to expand focus beyond health insurance policy: There is a need to broaden the focus from health insurance policy to include health care policy and overall health policy, encompassing the social determinants of health. 
  • Community health workers enhance trust and care delivery: Leveraging community health workers can improve healthcare delivery by building trust within communities, a strategy successfully employed in both high-income and low-income countries.
  • U.S. underperforms in health outcomes among peers: The United States has the shortest life expectancy and the highest rates of avoidable deaths compared to other high-income countries, ranking last in key health outcome measures. 
  • Alternative paths to better health outcomes exist: Other countries demonstrate that improved health outcomes are achievable through persistent efforts and policy changes, indicating that substantial improvements are possible in the U.S. 

Action items:

  • Address social drivers of health: Implement policies that tackle housing instability, food insecurity, education disparities, and wealth inequity to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities. 
  • Expand access to affordable healthcare: Move toward universal healthcare coverage to reduce the number of uninsured and underinsured individuals, particularly among marginalized communities.
  • Invest in primary care and public health infrastructure: Increase funding for primary care services and public health systems to enhance preparedness, prevention, and overall population health. 
  • Integrate community health workers: Employ community health workers to build trust and deliver care effectively within communities, addressing health needs and fostering resilience. 
  • Foster cross-sector collaboration: Create partnerships between healthcare providers, policymakers, and other sectors to address the holistic needs of society and design a more resilient public health system. 
  • Educate healthcare professionals on health equity: Provide training to healthcare workers on recognizing and combating systemic racism and biases within the healthcare system. 
  • Learn from global health systems: As shown in the The CommonWealth Funds Mirror Mirror report we must study and adapt successful health policies and practices from other countries to improve the U.S. healthcare system’s performance and equity.

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