Racial Equity and Health Policy

 Download PDF Racial and ethnic disparities in health care – whether in insurance coverage, access, or quality of care – are one of many factors producing inequalities in health status in the United States.1  Eliminating these disparities is politically sensitive and challenging in part because their causes are intertwined with…

The February Kaiser Health Tracking Poll focuses on some of the health policy implications of this winter’s national debate over gun violence, gun control and the adequacy of the nation’s response to the needs of those living with serious mental illness. The survey finds that one in five Americans have some connection to a victim of gun violence, a share that doubles to 42 percent among blacks.

The Obama administration and a bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently released blueprints for immigration reform proposals that include a roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States. Subject to meeting specified requirements, these individuals would be able to apply for a provisional…

Crime is By Far The Biggest Concern in New Orleans Seven in 10 Residents Say Americans Have Forgotten The City’s Plight African-Americans View Their Recovery Differently; It’s Much Slower MENLO PARK, Calif. — Five years after Hurricane Katrina, an increasing majority of the city’s residents says the rebuilding process is…

While the Affordable Care Act is expected to expand public and private coverage for children when it takes effect in 2014, significant gaps will remain, especially for low-income adults age 21 and older. This June 19, 2012, a public forum at the Foundation’s Washington, D.C. offices examined the gaps and…

New 50-State Survey Illustrates Key Role of CHIP Reauthorization and the Federal Stimulus Law in Safeguarding Coverage    WASHINGTON  – Despite the deep recession, most states have managed to safeguard and, in some cases, expand health coverage for children and parents in their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs in…

Recent literature shows that within the U.S., some communities of color have higher risks of heat-related mortality than White people. Consistent with trends in earlier years, between 2018-2021, AIAN people were most likely to die due to heat compared to all other racial and ethnic groups, and Black people had a higher rate of heat-related deaths compared to White people.

Medicaid plays several different roles of significance to Native Americans. Through its purchase of managed care products, Medicaid is reshaping the health care delivery system for many Native Americans and other underserved low-income populations. Medicaid also assists low-income elderly and disabled Indians who are eligible for Medicare in meeting their…

Medicare’s Role for LatinosFact Sheet: The Medicare Program: Medicare’s Role For Latinos