Employer-provided coverage provides affordable access to comprehensive health care for Americans of every race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and health status. For years, health insurance providers have been committed to improving health equity and combating social factors, like food insecurity and poverty, that can reduce health in our communities.
Every American deserves access to affordable, high-quality care and health coverage – regardless of the individual qualities that make us who we are, like our race, color, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, or health status. For years, health insurance providers have been committed to improving health equity and combating social factors, like food insecurity and poverty, that can reduce health in our communities.
Covering nearly 180 million Americans from every background and walk of life, employer-provided coverage is an essential, but often overlooked, resource for promoting health equity and addressing unmet social needs. Employer-provided coverage provides affordable access to comprehensive health care for Americans of every race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and health status. For racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, health disparities take on many forms, which can be addressed in part through coverage at work when health equity is prioritized.
Equity across our society has become a top priority for governments, businesses, and community leaders. Health equity can be defined as attainment of the highest level of health for all people. This means that all people have the opportunity to attain their full health potential and are not disadvantaged due to their race, social position, or other socioeconomic circumstance. Health inequities, on the other hand, are unfair and avoidable differences in health status that result from unjust policies, discriminatory social norms that exclude certain groups of people (such as racism, sexism, and ableism, among others), and inequitable distribution of money, power, and resources that lead to poorer socioeconomic conditions.
There are obstacles to accessing and receiving quality health care for people from all walks of life and throughout every stage of life. Even for those with employer-provided coverage, challenges remain, influenced by social determinants of health. But the evidence is clear: Coverage at work is a key tool in addressing both the social determinants of health, with employers having a vested interest in promoting health equity.