The Health-Representation Gap: We Don’t Know Much But What We Know Is Concerning

Abstract There is now evidence that disparities in health are associated with inequalities in representation, a finding we refer to as the health-representation gap . Recently, Micah Tan (2025) corroborated this finding after correcting errors in analyses we conducted on this topic years ago (Pacheco and Ojeda 2020). In this paper, we highlight and reassess the conclusions Tan draws about the shape and origin of the gap. We then take stock of existing studies on the topic and set an agenda for future research. What we know so far—that a health-representation gap exists—is a cause for concern, but the limited quantity and quality of evidence means scholars should exercise caution when making claims about it. More research is needed to understand the scope conditions of the health-representation gap and to overcome the methodological challenges to studying it.