Is racism the cause of health care disparities?In recent discussions of health care disparities, a controversial question has questioned whether or not racism is the cause of health care disparities. On the one hand, some argue that racism is a serious problem in the health care system. From this perspective, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) states that there is a large gap between the quality of health care received by minorities and the quality of health care received by non-minorities, and the reason is racism. On the other hand, others argue that health care disparities are not due to racism. In the words of Sally Satel, one of the leading advocates of this view, “white and black patients on average do not even see the same population of doctors” (Satel 1), which reduces the chances that racism or the cause of health. disparities in care. According to this view, racism is not a serious problem in the health care system. In summary, then, the question is whether racism is a major cause of health care disparities, as the Institute of Medicine maintains, or whether racism is not really a problem in the health care system. , as Sally Satel suggests. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). ), racism is a problem in the health care system, that is, the difference between the quality of health care received by minorities and non-minorities is due to racism. IOM is a nonprofit organization that advises the federal government and the public on science policy. It released a report that found, on average, minorities receive lower quality care, even when factors such as income and type of health insurance are taken into account. The IOM report states that racial stereotypes and biases are at the root of health care disparities. The IOM article points out......middle of the article......that Satel needs to do more research. For example, in her article she mentions that primary care physicians who lack certification and face barriers to accessing specialty services are more likely to practice in areas where Black people receive their care, i.e. the poorest neighborhoods, as measured by median income. but she does not confirm this with research. Although some may object that health care is colorblind and that doctors do their best to administer health care in a proportionate manner, I would respond that racism plays a role in health care disparities. Racism has always been a problem and no one can deny this fact. This question is important because the health care disparity gap is significant and something needs to be done to address it. As IOM said, people need to be aware of what is happening in order to take appropriate action to bridge the gap..