HJNO Sep/Oct 2021

44 SEP / OCT 2021 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS COLUMN INSURANCE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, gaps in health are wide, persistent and expanding —many of them caused by barriers set up at all lev- els of our society. For those of us without access to good jobs and schools and safe, affordable homes, good health is the rare exception. Health equity means increas- ing opportunities for all of us to live our healthiest life possible, no matter who we FOR THE HEALTH OF ALL Achieving Health Equity by Understanding Health Inequity “… If you live below the poverty line, you are 25% more likely than higher-income Americans to develop hypertension. Health disparities like these not only affect the day-to-day experi- ence of individuals, but also threaten the prosperity and well-being of entire communities.” — Dwayne Proctor, PhD, President and CEO, Missouri Foundation for Health are, where we live or how much money we make. Defined as systematic differences in the opportunities that groups possess to achieve optimal health, health inequity leads to unfair but avoidable differences in health outcomes. What are its root caus- es? Human-made systems and structures that privilege certain groups and under- serve or actively oppress others through the unequal distribution of power and resources. Simply put, it’s an unjust differ- ence in health. And, as we learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, no one is immune to the consequences of disparities in health: all of us affect each of us. Moreover, for people whom health inequity directly af- fects, it is generational and can affect their