Evaluating whether the US is making progress in reducing racial and ethnic health disparities among children is an important policy and research concern, primarily since poor health disparities in childhood can last a lifetime. The goal of this proposed research is to understand whether racial/ethnic health disparities among children can be reduced or eliminated with health policies. Each of the three specific aims are distinct projects that focus on evaluating the effect of recent health reform interventions on the change in disparities in access and utilization of care, health status, and financial burdens due to healt care among children and their families using quazi-experimental study design. Each study aim employs secondary data analysis of national and state-level surveys.
The first aim provides an
Evaluating whether the US is making progress in reducing racial and ethnic health disparities among children is an important policy and research concern, primarily since poor health disparities in childhood can last a lifetime. It is unknown whether the latest efforts to improve access and delivery of care through the Affordable Care Act will reduce or eliminate these disparities among children. This research proposal will help to inform policy recommendations to improve minority health and reduce racial/ethnic disparities among children.