The Costs of Disparity and Evidence Based Strategies to Reduce Health Disparities in Diabetes

Objectives: The session will provide an overview of evidence regarding the cost of racial disparities in diabetes.  The session will also discuss measurement issues related to disparities and their costs and discuss evidence-based strategies for reducing racial disparities in diabetes.

Methods: A literature review on the cost of health disparities and successful strategies for reducing these disparities, with a specific focus on diabetes.  Examples of efforts to identify and measure health disparities and to mediate these disparities will be discussed using the Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) communities as examples. 

Results: The estimated cost of racial and ethnic disparities for diabetes in the African American and Hispanic populations was; $3,161 million in Medicare payments; $791 million for Medicaid payments; $895 million for private insurance payments; and $707 million for patient’s out-of-pocket payments (from the Urban Institute).

Conclusions: Racial disparities in diabetes causes a significant economic burden on the U.S. health care system, with the excess costs being borne by many parties.  Strategies to measure and mediate disparities are being implemented, though the evidence is less clear about the effectiveness of these new emerging efforts.  Learning objectives: The audience will become familiar with the economic burden of racial disparities as well as community based strategies to reduce racial disparities in diabetes.