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Racial Equity and Health Policy

Racism, Discrimination and Health

Health Coverage by Race and Ethnicity, 2010-2024

This brief examines trends in health coverage by race and ethnicity from 2010 through 2024. Since 2010, there have been large gains in health coverage across racial and ethnic groups but racial and ethnic disparities in coverage persisted. The largest gains occurred after implementation of the ACA coverage expansions in 2014.

In 2024, the overall uninsured rate increased for the first time since 2019 as pandemic-era continuous enrollment in Medicaid came to an end, with significant increases among Hispanic, Black, and White people under age 65. Coverage disparities have persisted over time and, in some cases, widened despite earlier gains under the ACA.

Racial Disparities in Life Expectancy

The Growing Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care and Implications for Disparities

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

Elimination of Federal Diversity Initiatives: Updates and Current Status

the Essentials

  • Health Coverage by Race and Ethnicity, 2010-2024

    There have been longstanding racial and ethnic disparities in health coverage that contribute to disparities in health. This brief examines trends in health coverage by race and ethnicity from 2010 through 2024 and discusses the implications for such disparities.

  • 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.
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.

Survey of Immigrants

KFF-New York Times Survey: Immigrants Report Rising Fear, Negative Economic and Health Impacts, and Changing Political Views During the First Year of President Trump’s Second Term

The 2025 Survey of Immigrants, a partnership between KFF and The New York Times, takes an in-depth look at the experiences of immigrants during the first year of President Trump’s second term, including their worries related to increased immigration enforcement, their health and economic wellbeing, and the political views and preferences of immigrant voters. The survey paints a portrait of families under strain — where fear of detention and economic instability are negatively impacting immigrants’ health and reshaping immigrant families’ daily lives and views of U.S. political parties.

Read the News Release | Explore The New York Times’ Reporting

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

Recent State Actions Related to Immigrants’ Access to Services and Immigration Enforcement

Health Issues for Immigrants in Detention Centers

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

Role of Immigrants in the Hospital Workforce

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  • 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.

  • Living in an Immigrant Family in America: How Fear and Toxic Stress are Affecting Daily Life, Well-Being, & Health

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines the experiences of immigrant parents and children, including immigrants who are undocumented and those lawfully present, with the new restrictions on immigration and increased immigration enforcement being pursued by the Trump Administration that are reshaping U.S. immigration policy. Findings are based on focus groups in eight cities and four states with 100 parents in immigrant families from 15 countries, as well as telephone interviews with 13 pediatricians who serve immigrant communities.

  • U.S. Virgin Islands: Fast Facts

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet presents demographic, economic, and health indicators of the U.S. Virgin Islands and briefly discusses some of the territory's short and long-term challenges facing the territory after Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the island in September 2017.

  • Vivir en una Familia de Inmigrantes en los Estados Unidos: Cómo el Miedo y el Estrés Tóxico Están Afectando la Vida Diaria, el Bienestar y la Salud

    Issue Brief

    Este informe examina las experiencias de los padres y hijos de inmigrantes, incluidos los inmigrantes indocumentados y aquellos legalmente presentes, con las nuevas restricciones de inmigración y el aumento de las leyes de inmigración siendo perseguidos por la Administración de Trump que están reformando la política de inmigración del EE.UU.. Realizamos grupos focales con 100 padres de 15 países y 13 entrevistas con pediatras para obtener una idea de cómo el ambiente actual está afectando…

  • The Impact of the Coverage Gap for Adults in States not Expanding Medicaid by Race and Ethnicity

    Issue Brief

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion of Medicaid to adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL) effectively became a state option following the Supreme Court decision, creating a “coverage gap” for many poor uninsured adults in states that do not expand Medicaid. This brief examines the coverage gap by race and ethnicity.

  • In Wake of Dallas, Minnesota and Baton Rouge Shootings, an Opening for Local Leaders

    From Drew Altman

    In this The Wall Street Journal Think Tank column, Drew Altman discusses how incidents in Dallas, Baton Rouge and Minnesota create opportunities for local leaders to take steps to reduce police-involved violence, citing data from the KFF-CNN survey of Americans on Race and KFF-New York Times Survey of Chicago Residents.

  • Summary of HHS’s Final Rule on Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities

    Issue Brief

    On May 18, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final rule to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination in health coverage and care based on race, color, national origin, age or disability, and, for the first time sex. This Issue Brief provides a technical summary of Section 1557 and the final rule and highlights new protections and provisions included in the law and rule.…

  • Two Studies Draw Different Conclusions on State of Black America

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses how studies with conflicting views of progress and problems for African Americans can both be true, and why African Americans may feel the problems more than the progress.