Income disparities in care quality measures U.S. 2019

The disparity by income was largest comparing the poor vs. high-income households. People in poor households (less than 100%FPL) received worse care than high-income households (400% or more FPL) on 57 percent of quality measures. This statistic depicts the percentage of healthcare quality measures for which members of low or middle-income groups had better or worse quality of care than high-income group in the U.S. in 2017, 2018, or 2019.

Percentage of healthcare quality measures for which members of low or middle-income households had better or worse quality of care than high-income households in the U.S. in 2017-2019

Characteristic	Better	Same	Worse
Poor	5%	38%	57%
Low income	3%	41%	56%
Middle income	-	56%	44%

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Release date

December 2021

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Region

North America, United States

Survey time period

2017 to 2019

Supplementary notes

Income groups are based on the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for a family of four:
•Poor: Less than 100% of FPL.
•Low income: 100% to less than 200% of FPL.
•Middle income: 200% to less than 400% of FPL.
•High income: 400% or more of FPL.

Quality healthcare often means striking the right balance in the provision of health services by avoiding overuse (e.g., getting unnecessary tests), underuse (e.g., not being screened for high blood pressure), or misuse (e.g., being prescribed drugs that have dangerous interactions)
Broad categories of healthcare quality measures:
Person-Centered Care, Patient Safety, Care Coordination, Affordable Care, Effective Treatment, Healthy Living.

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