For too many people in the U.S., health care is unaffordable and not accessible. Even patients who have health insurance coverage can be confronted with barriers that keep them from accessing the health care that they need.

And research shows health disparities are rampant, with health care access — and outcomes — worse for people of color and other marginalized groups.

The new State of Patient Access report from the PAN Foundation breaks down these disparities and highlights next steps for creating more equitable access to care. 

“Our goal with the project was really to understand the challenges that adults living with chronic conditions every single day face accessing the care they need,” says Amy Niles, the PAN Foundation’s health policy expert and Chief Mission Officer. “More importantly, our goal was to understand what disparities exist, and there were some significant disparities between various groups and communities.”

To learn more about the report, and what can be done to help overcome barriers to care for underserved communities, Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Ramon Jimenez spoke with  Niles, along with Adrianna Nava, president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.