POLICY BRIEF

Policy Brief: Health Equity
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Policy Brief: Health Equity
According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), health equity refers to the equal opportunity for all individuals to receive high-quality health care. Inequities in public health result from barriers that hinder individuals or communities from accessing the aforementioned conditions. It is imperative to understand that health inequities differ from health disparities, with the latter focusing on the different health statuses between demographic and social aspects, for instance, gender, and race. Nevertheless, the APHA argues that health disparities are among several factors that can be used to assess progress to health equity. This policy brief previews health inequity as a challenge to public health. Subsequently, the discussions will present background information on the issue, present a problem statement, provide suggestions to address the issue and assess the impact on the health care delivery system.
Background Information
Affected Population
Benjamin (2015) defines health equity as social justice in the health sector. Furthermore, the author cautions on the misapprehension of access for equity. With this definition, it is impossible to talk about inequity in health without touching on issues of bias, discrimination, and racism. For example, the Medicare program was passed into law one year before the establishment of the Civil Rights Act CITATION Ben15…