EquiLAC II comprises a series of studies to measure and explain health systems inequalities in countries of the Americas. As such, EquiLAC II aims to update and further expand on the concepts and methods of previous studies during the late 1990s, while introducing new methodologies and advancements in health equity analysis.

Phase I studies will include an assessment of the sources of health care systems inequalities and inequities, the direction of inequality in selected health systems, as well as within country and cross-country comparisons. Each study will identify whether there is systematic variation in the use of health care services in relation to some variation of living standards. 

The EquiLAC II project calls for the systematic assessment of health system inequalities in the Latin America and Caribbean region.  The background for this work is based on prior case studies performed during the late 1990s on the measurement of health and health systems inequalities in the Region.

The main goal of the project is to increase understanding and knowledge of health systems inequalities in the region of the Americas by producing evidence to support policy development, monitoring, and evaluation.

The audience for these studies includes ministries of health, economic development agencies, national and international organizations, policy makers, researchers and health agencies in the Americas. The studies will be widely disseminated with the hope of fostering future policy dialogue in the area of health equity research.