The next Administration should prioritize increasing access to health care, especially for minorities and underserved communities, according to experts assembled on Tuesday, Sept. 20 for a discussion on health disparities and innovation.
The discussion before an audience of 150 at the Newseum in Washington D.C. was presented by The Hill and sponsored by the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. It sought to find common ground between the twin objectives of enhancing access and encouraging innovative treatments.
Dana Goldman, director of the Schaeffer Center and USC Professor of Public Policy, Pharmacy and Economics, argued that new treatments for heart failure are a good example of how innovation can lengthen lives and narrow disparities. He noted that an estimated 5.7 million American adults suffer from congestive heart failure, which is a contributing factor in one in 9 U.S. deaths. The disease has an outsized impact on minorities. About 1 in 4 black women aged 45 to 75 is at risk for heart failure, compared to 1 in 7 white women. Read more.