Addressing Disparities and Advancing Equity
Disparities in access to care and resources lead to significant differences in health, financial, and social outcomes, contributing to unequal quality of life. Individuals within the same community can have vastly different experiences in every aspect of their lives, with factors such as health, income, and education often influenced by systemic inequalities. These disparities are largely remediable, and addressing their root causes is essential to fostering a more equitable society.
While it’s easy to ignore or downplay, the reality is that an individual’s identity—shaped by factors like race, gender, and socioeconomic status—has a profound impact on their daily life. This brings us to an important question: How do we move forward?
One organization that is dedicated to eliminating these disparities is AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on empowering Americans aged 50 and older. To address inequities, AARP conducted an environmental scan to identify priority areas for improving equity across healthcare, education, housing, and economic opportunity for individuals over 50. This scan informs AARP’s policy and advocacy strategies at the local, state, and federal levels.
Advocacy Framework
In 2022, REACH Beyond Solutions was contracted to provide equity-driven policy support and technical assistance in the development of AARP’s advocacy framework. Our team, composed of subject matter experts in equity, public health, and economics, focuses on addressing disparities across various social determinants of health. The goal was to advocate for optimal health and financial outcomes for AARP’s target population—50 million members and their families.
By leveraging AARP’s pre-existing work, we supported the creation of a framework that empowers their target population to achieve better outcomes through informed policy and advocacy.
The Pursuit of Equity
Understanding inequity requires a clear definition of equity. In this framework, equity is defined as the “absence of unfair, avoidable, or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically, or geographically, or by other dimensions of inequality.” In essence, equity ensures a level playing field, where everyone has access to the same opportunities.
For this initiative, we focused on two core areas: healthcare access and financial resiliency—two of AARP’s top priorities in empowering individuals 50 and older. Together, we developed an advocacy framework with ten identified areas of focus to achieve equitable outcomes in both healthcare and financial security.
Healthcare Access
Healthcare access is essential to key factors such as life expectancy, health outcomes, and overall quality of care. Without equitable healthcare access, these factors are often compromised.
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The healthcare access advocacy framework identified five key factors to ensure equity:
- Access: Healthcare must be available to all, regardless of location, transportation, or financial resources.
- Affordability: Healthcare should be affordable for everyone, no matter their income or job status.
- Quality of Care: Quality should not depend on income, insurance status, race, or geography.
- Patient Satisfaction: A diverse healthcare workforce, innovation, and patient-centric care are essential to a positive experience.
- Patient Outcomes: We must eliminate disparities in health outcomes among different populations.
These factors highlight the need for a healthcare system where all individuals have access to timely, affordable, and high-quality care, regardless of their circumstances.
Equity ensures a level playing field, where everyone has access to
the same opportunities.
Financial Resiliency
Financial resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from financial setbacks. For many marginalized populations—particularly communities of color, the aging population, and disabled individuals—financial resilience is an ongoing challenge. The ability to recover from unexpected financial hardship, such as job loss, medical expenses, or natural disasters, is critical to long-term well-being.
Our team identified key areas for improving financial resilience:
- Low Interest Rates: Ensuring that individuals have access to affordable credit and loans.
- Access to Credit: Expanding opportunities for marginalized communities to obtain credit.
- Debt Reduction: Addressing the debt burdens that disproportionately affect communities of color.
- Retirement Funds: Supporting efforts to increase retirement savings for individuals in underserved communities.
- Livable Communities: Promoting the creation of affordable, accessible, and sustainable communities for all.
By focusing on these areas, we can improve financial outcomes for individuals in underserved communities, helping them build a more resilient economic future.
STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENTS
We hosted strategic planning sessions with state offices to discuss key advocacy areas and conducted policy analysis meetings with AARP National Office stakeholders. These engagements were designed to build consensus around priority issues and inform future advocacy efforts.
COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS
Our team developed a series of one-pagers and background materials focused on equity. Topics included interstate medical licensure compacts, food security, access to banking, inclusive procurement practices, and short-term emergency savings—all aimed at addressing the needs of marginalized communities and empowering individuals aged 50 and older.
What Now?
REACH Beyond Solutions has laid the groundwork for AARP’s advocacy efforts, providing the tools and support needed to continue pushing for equity in public and private policies. By addressing disparities in healthcare and financial security, AARP’s continued advocacy will work to ensure access and equity for all individuals, ultimately promoting health and well-being for underserved communities.