Health Care Gaps Occur by Race and State

Both race and residence have a major impact on the health care Americans receive, a study has found. One example is among diabetics on Medicare in Memphis. In this group, blacks are six times as likely as whites to have a leg amputated. But both races are much more likely to receive preventive care in some states than others. The study of Medicare claims was done by Dartmouth researchers. It was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation will give grants totaling $300 million to states, communities and regions to help reduce these disparities. The Associated Press reported on the study June 5.