The majority of Americans believe that lawmakers need to pay more attention to health care disparities, reports a new poll by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

According to the poll, 78% of Americans agree that barriers contributing to minorities and low-income citizens receiving poor health care be eliminated. Fifty-two percent of participants say it is "very important" to them to see that people with different levels or income or education receive the same opportunities to be healthy.

What's more, 92% feel that improving the quality of education will improve the quality of life and health care status; only 33% feel that current government policies aimed at reducing health disparities are working. RWJF interviewed 1,800 American adults for the poll.

The New Jersey-based group, which studies health care policies, also announced the formation of a new commission and released a new report on health care disparities.

The new "Commission to Build a Healthier America," will focus on factors outside the health care system and identify non-medical, evidence-based strategies to help improve the health of all Americans.

The foundation will conduct regional field hearings to help determine how factors like education, environment, income and housing shape and affect personal behavioral choices.

Mark McClellan, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Alice Rivlin, senior economist at the Brookings Institution, will co-chair the two-year commission.

The new report released by RWJF, "Overcoming Obstacles to Health," examines how education, income, race and ethnicity play a role in the health of Americans.