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Racial Equity and Health Policy

Immigrants

Many Lawfully Present Immigrants Will Lose Health Coverage Due to the 2025 Tax and Budget Law

This policy watch outlines the groups of lawfully present immigrants that will lose access to federally funded health coverage due to new restrictions on eligibility in the 2025 tax and budget law.
It also highlights the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) estimates of the number of lawfully present immigrants who will become uninsured due to the provisions, as well as estimated federal savings that will result.
CBO estimates that the law’s restrictions on eligibility will result in 1.4 million lawfully present immigrants becoming uninsured and reduce federal spending by $131 billion by 2034.

Related: Key Facts on Health Coverage of Immigrants

States Have Enacted or Proposed a Range of Legislation That Will Affect Immigrants’ Access to State-Funded Health Coverage

Role of Immigrants in the Hospital Workforce

Policy Bars Many Immigrants from a Broad Range of Federal Health and Social Supports

Potential Impacts of 2025 Budget Reconciliation on Health Coverage for Immigrant Families

Racism, Discrimination and Health

Physician Workforce Diversity by Race and Ethnicity

Racial and ethnic disparities in health remain persistent in the U.S. of health care services and broader social and economic factors that reflect historical and ongoing racism. One factor that can mitigate such disparities is when physicians and patients share the same racial or ethnic background.

Data show that in the U.S. Hispanic, Black, AIAN, and NHPI people were underrepresented among physicians relative to their share of the population. The widest gap was seen among Hispanic people, who comprised 20% of the total population but only 7% of the physician workforce.

Disappearing Federal Data: Implications for Addressing Health Disparities

State Reported Efforts to Address Health Disparities: A 50 State Review

KFF Survey on Racism, Discrimination and Health: Views on Racism and Trust in Key U.S. Institutions

Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them

Survey of Immigrants

A Majority of Lawfully Present Immigrants Are Worried They or a Family Member Could Be Detained or Deported

A new KFF poll finds six in 10 lawfully present immigrants say they worry about the possibility that they or a family member could be detained or deported, contributing to feelings of increased stress, anxiety, and other health problems. A companion report based on focus groups provides a window into how likely undocumented immigrants and their families are faring in the current immigration policy landscape.
Interactive Timeline

How History Has Shaped Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: A Timeline of Policies and Events

This interactive timeline explores how history has shaped racial and ethnic health disparities and the lasting effects that persist to this day.

The timeline describes major U.S. federal policies and events since the early 1800s that are linked to present-day health disparities. It also covers policies that impact health coverage and access to care, medicine, and social and economic policies that influence health as well as efforts to tackle inequalities.
the Essentials

  • Disparities in Health and Health Care: 5 Key Questions and Answers

    This brief provides an introduction to what health and health care disparities are, why it is important to address them, what the status of disparities is today, recent federal actions to address disparities, and key issues related to addressing disparities in the future.

  • Timeline: How History Has Shaped Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

    This timeline offers a historical view of significant U.S. federal policies and events spanning the early 1800s to today that have influenced present-day health disparities.

  • Health Policy 101: Chapter on Race, Inequality and Health

    Addressing persistent racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care is important for improving the nation’s health and economic prosperity. KFF explains such disparities and the factors that drive them, examines the actions to address them, and outlines future considerations.

  • Key Data on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity

    Racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care remain a persistent challenge in the United States. An updated KFF resource examines how people of color fare compared to White people across 64 measures of health, health care, and social determinants of health.

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  • Testimony: The Status of Health and Health Care Disparities in the United States

    Issue Brief

    On March 8, 2017, Kaiser Family Foundation Director of the Disparities Policy Project Samantha Artiga testified before the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. She presented on the status of health and health care disparities in the United States.

  • What Do We Know about Social Determinants of Health in the U.S. and Comparable Countries?

    Feature

    Social determinants, such as individual and community behaviors, economic circumstances, and environmental factors, can influence health costs and outcomes, despite being outside the control of the health system in some respects. This slideshow explores social determinants and health outcomes in the United States and similar countries. The collection looks at income inequality, obesity, educational attainment, and rates of insurance, as well as behaviors such as cigarette and alcohol consumption. Health outcomes, such as disease burden from drug abuse disorders and motor vehicle road injuries, also are examined, along with measures such as years of life lost due to firearms assaults and death rates from accidental poisonings.

  • Estimates of Eligibility for ACA Coverage among the Uninsured by Race and Ethnicity

    Issue Brief

    This analysis provides national estimates of eligibility for ACA coverage options by race/ethnicity, including Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. We estimate coverage and eligibility as of early 2015, which is prior to the end of the 2015 Marketplace open enrollment period. Overall, this analysis finds that more than half (55%) of the total 32.3 million nonelderly uninsured are people of color, including 34% who identify as Hispanic, 14% who identify as Black, and 8% who identify as another group or mixed race.

  • Immigrants and Health Coverage:  A Primer

    Issue Brief

    Immigrants and Health Coverage: A Primer A major challenge facing many immigrants is lack of health insurance coverage. This primer provides an introduction to some of the questions surrounding immigrants and health insurance coverage. Issue Brief (.

  • Public Health in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief provides a snapshot of key public health challenges in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. It discusses topics such as mortality, food, water, sanitation, health care infrastructure, and mental health on the island in the wake of the storm.

  • Voices from Puerto Rico: Reflections Two Months After Maria (Video)

    Video

    Residents of Puerto Rico discuss their daily lives and their views on recovery efforts two months after Hurricane Maria. In this video, they describe job loss and continuing economic disruption, a lack of basic services such as electricity and a rising toll on the population's mental and physical health.