Sineshaw HM, et al. - The sequential contribution of differences in insurance, co-morbidity, tumor characteristics, and treatment to the black-white survival disparity among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) was determined. It was shown that insurance coverage differences accounted for approximately one-half of the disparity in survival rate between black abd white patients with CRC. Tumor characteristics accounted for one-fourth of the disparity. For all populations, affordable health insurance coverage could substantially reduce differences in survival times of black and white patients with CRC.