When people are old enough to qualify for insurance through Medicare, the availability of care significantly reduces disparities among racial and socioeconomic economic groups on several key health measures, suggesting that universal coverage could narrow these gaps among members of the general population.

 

The study by Harvard Medical School researchers finds that when individuals are eligible for Medicare—the government-administered social insurance program—racial disparities decreased by 60 percent for systolic blood pressure. As for diabetes risk factors, educational disparities decreased by 83 percent and racial and ethnic disparities fell by 78 percent upon Medicare eligibility. And for total cholesterol levels, educational disparities disappeared altogether.

 

“We found some important indicators that universal health insurance may reduce persistent disparities we've seen for far too long in Americans from different racial or ethnic groups,” says senior author John Ayanian, professor of medicine and health care policy at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health.

 

The study analyzes survey data describing measures of blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar collected between 1999 and 2006 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers compared the health outcomes of individuals by race, ethnicity and education. The researchers studied whether overall discrepancies between these demographic groups were narrowed among adults with Medicare coverage after age 65. The researchers found that while health indicators improved for all groups between 1999 and 2006, the socio-demographic gaps remained unchanged or, in some cases, widened. But for individuals age 65 and older who were eligible for Medicare, the gaps narrowed substantially.

 

“The results of this study make it clear that guaranteeing access to affordable insurance for all Americans is the essential first step toward a high performing health care system and a healthier America,” says Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, which funded the study. “As our leaders look toward health reform it is critical that they take into account the value of health care coverage for everyone and assure that all Americans have the ability to obtain insurance for themselves and their families.”

 

The findings are reported in the April 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.