Equity and Health

According to the World Health Organization, health equity is defined as the absence of unfair and avoidable or remediable differences in health among population groups.¹

Today, many individuals and communities do not have this opportunity because of bias and systemic barriers with regards to gender, race, education, socioeconomic status, geographical location, and other structural factors.

Addressing inequities in health and healthcare benefits all of society. Reducing gaps in access and quality of care for women, for example, improves health outcomes for infants, as well. Advancing to reduce health inequity across social groups strengthens healthcare systems and contributes significantly to economic growth.²

Reducing inequities in health will require a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach. Three sets of actions will be particularly important in all societies where health inequities between groups persist:

• Improve affordable, high-quality access to healthy food, healthcare services and products, and other resources vital to good health to all parts of society
• Invest to ensure that innovation in health and healthcare addresses the needs of the disadvantaged
• Work to better engage underserved communities and to help them establish trust-based relationships with health care providers

In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) is interested in exploring long-term questions such as:

• What are the most effective ways to measure health inequities and track success to inform effective actions?
• How can stakeholders in the healthcare system and beyond collaborate to improve equitable access to all factors necessary for a healthy life?
• How can we leverage data to consistently and transparently reveal biases in the healthcare system, while investing in needed system capabilities to address these biases?