Quality health care is necessary to improve the health of disadvantaged populations – but it is not enough to eliminate the adverse effects of limited education, says a new policy brief. Released last week by the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Center on Society and Health, the brief features new Kaiser Permanente data and is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Key Data Points Include:

• People with less education have worse health than those with more education – even when they have the same access to health care. According to new Kaiser Permanente data, 69% of adults with a college education describe their health as “very good” or “excellent,” compared to only 32% of those who lack a high school diploma.
• Even in countries with universal health care access, this same pattern is seen. In the United Kingdom, where the entire population has access to the National Health Service, illness rates are higher for people with less education.

Since it’s release on September 23rd, the new brief has been featured in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Fierce Healthcare, and in both the Politico Morning Education and Fritzwire newsletters.

This brief is a product of the Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health’s Education and Health Initiative, a program to raise awareness about the links between education and health. It is the third in a series of four briefs: Read issue brief one and issue brief two.