A society that does not view health as a basic human right is likely to experience disparities in health status that parallel other societal disparities in access to economic resources, goods and services. In the developed world, the United States is a prime example of the health consequences to a society where access to health care is not readily available to all without regard to their ability to pay. In 2003, the first U.S. National Healthcare Disparities Report was issued by the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ 2003). It presented a comprehensive national overview of disparities, including oral health disparities, in access to health care services and insurance, in health outcomes, and in the quality of care among U.S. racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. It is now well documented in the U.S. that African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and various Asian subpopulation groups, bear a disproportionate burden of disease and disability, and that these health disparities result in “lower life expectancy, decreased quality of life, loss of economic opportunities, and perceptions of injustice” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2004). Importantly, disparities in health care and health outcomes also significantly affect the developmentally disabled and other special needs populations. These problems have been recognized by policymakers and the reduction of health disparities has been set as a national goal for the United States. In “Healthy People 2010,” the detailed enumeration of health goals for the U.S.,“all differences among populations in measures of health and health care are considered evidence of disparities” (US Dept. of Health and Human Services 2000a). In 2002, the Institute of Medicine, in its report “Unequal Treatment,” refined the definition of health disparities as those differences among population groups that

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