The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated longstanding racial disparities in health in the United States and highlighted the need to address inequities across a range of health system functions. All countries face their own unique inequities in health status or in the distribution of health care resources among different population groups. We looked at how eight high-income countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom) have sought to change the mindsets of health care leaders and professionals, measure and dismantle racism in care delivery, and promote equitable access to care. The eight countries finance health care very differently than the U.S. and are affected by racism and income inequality in varying ways. Nevertheless, they offer lessons and practical strategies for supporting historically marginalized groups and reducing health inequalities.
To identify how these countries have pursued health equity, we conducted a literature review (see the appendix) supplemented by interviews with five experts in global health and health equity. This blog post describes promising, evidence-based approaches to reducing health inequalities we identified that are relevant to the U.S. and could spur further cross-national learning. (author introduction)