Improving Collection of Race and Ethnicity Data by Health Plans Can Advance Health Equity
Data on health plan enrollees’ races and ethnicities (R/E) remain inconsistent and incomplete, making it difficult to track and evaluate efforts to reduce health inequities. Multisector collaboration is necessary to reduce barriers in collecting this data, including building consumer trust, addressing legal concerns, and updating data collection standards.
The Urban Institute, the American Benefits Council, and the Deloitte Health Equity Institute, with support from Elevance Health, led a multi-pronged research engagement to understand the challenges to collecting R/E data and identify possible solutions for improving its collection and use.
A focal point of this research was the convening of a summit of leading experts to discuss the implications of improved R/E data collection. The experts — representing stakeholders from health plans, providers, employers, technology firms, public health, and research organizations — discussed the opportunities that better R/E data could provide health plans and other stakeholders for advancing health equity.
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