Position Paper: Value-based Benefit Design To Help Eliminate Race-Based Healthcare Disparities

Monday, August 18, 2008

(A. Philip Randolph Institute)

Whereas, the legacy of racism and the persistence of raciest practices continues to manifest themselves in all facets of American life, and;

Whereas, racism is readily apparent in the area of healthcare, where disparities for minorities in general, and African Americans in particular, are well-researched, documented and undisputed, and;

Whereas, minorities suffer from cardiovascular disease and other diseases at rates that are disproportionate and significantly high, and;

Whereas, African Americans suffer disproportionately from many chronic and preventable disease associated with smoking, and;

Whereas, minorities face barriers to healthy communities, prevention and treatment, and;

Whereas compensation for physicians and other healthcare providers working with minorities are not optimally aligned to promote better health, and thereby help reduce the race-based disparities, and;

Whereas, there is a need for labor leaders to develop strategies to address healthcare disparities among minorities, and;

Whereas, Value-based Benefit Design (VBBD) is gaining momentum as a benefit design framework grounded in the removal of barriers to care, an analyses of the determinants of healthcare costs, and the alignment of incentives to mitigate those determinants, and;

Whereas, the adoption of Value-based Benefit Design principles will help to ensure that minorities have better access to appropriate healthcare without the burden of barriers, thereby improving their quality of life, and;

Whereas, new systems are emerging to better align provider compensation with desired outcomes, including helping to eliminate healthcare disparities.

Therefore, be it resolved that the A. Philip Randolph Institute urges labor leaders to help eliminate healthcare disparities and improve the quality of life for all workers by exploring, and where appropriate, adopting value-based Benefit Design principles to remove barriers to equitable care, and;

Be it further resolved, that the A. Philip Randolph Institute encourages labor leaders, to help eliminate healthcare disparities by looking critically at performance systems to align provider incentives with improved health outcomes that are equitable for all communities.