A paper published in Health Affairs highlights the need for a new approach to address health inequities in the United States, especially for racial and ethnic minorities. They propose a “racism-conscious” policy framework, different from the traditional “colour- blind” and “race-based” policy approaches. This framework aims to address the impact of racism on health disparities.
The five steps of the racism-conscious health policy framework are as follows:
- Examine current inequities and identify health issues that can be improved through effective policies.
- Identify existing policies that contribute to health inequities.
- Assess the mechanisms and consequences of these existing policies to understand how they foster or address inequities.
- Acknowledge and research racism as a cause of health inequities.
- Create new policies that consider targeted implementation strategies, developed in collaboration with community members.
The researchers argue that the implementation of these policies is as critical as their design. Effective implementation, in partnership with affected communities, ensures that policies reach the intended beneficiaries and address the impact of racism on health disparities. An example cited in the paper is a policy proposal for student loan forgiveness, which recognizes that certain racial and ethnic groups disproportionately qualify for Pell grants and provides additional support accordingly.
