How the Affordable Care Act has narrowed racial and ethnic disparities in access to health care
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Data brief (Commonwealth Fund)
- Author(s):
- Baumgartner, Jesse C., author Collins, Sara R., author Radley, David C., author Hayes, Susan L., author
- Contributor(s):
- Commonwealth Fund, issuing body.
- Publication:
- [New York, N.Y.] : The Commonwealth Fund, January 2020
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Health Services Accessibility -- statistics & numerical data Insurance Coverage -- statistics & numerical data Insurance Coverage -- trends Insurance, Health -- statistics & numerical data Insurance, Health -- trends Medically Uninsured -- statistics & numerical data African Americans Ethnic Groups European Continental Ancestry Group Forecasting Hispanic Americans Income Medicaid State Government Humans Georgia Louisiana United States United States.
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- The insurance coverage expansion ushered in by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has significantly increased Americans' ability to get the health care they need since the law's main provisions went into effect in 2014. Research also indicates that the ACA narrowed racial and ethnic disparities in insurance coverage--a key objective of the law, and one that enjoys substantial public support. In this brief, we examine how much the ACA also has reduced disparities in access to health care among black, Hispanic, and white adults. Using data from the federal American Community Survey (ACS) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for the years 2013 to 2018, we review: (1) differences in the share of black, Hispanic, and white adults who are uninsured (ages 19 to 64); (2) differences in the share who went without care because of cost in the past 12 months (ages 18 to 64); (3) differences in the share with a usual source of care (ages 18 to 64). We examine the degree to which racial and ethnic differences have narrowed since the ACA went into effect, what differences exist between states that have expanded Medicaid and those that have not, and which policy options might further reduce disparities. We hope these findings will help guide policymakers as they consider options for moving the nation closer to a more equitable, higher-performing health care system.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (19 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101761885 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101761885