Universal Coverage Can Ease Racial Disparities in Health Care.

Everyone should receive the same quality health care, regardless of race or country of origin. That is not currently the case—a problem known as racial health care disparities.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School studied data from more than 6,000 people between the ages of 40 and 85 and found that once people reached age 65, the gaps in health indicators narrowed across race, economic status and ethnicity.

The study was published in the April 21, 2009 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The journal's editors concluded: "Because age 65 years indicates the beginning of Medicare eligibility, these findings provide strong circumstantial evidence that universal health insurance coverage sharply narrows disparities."

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