Racism, Inequality, and Health Care for African Americans

This report from the Century Foundation examines the state of health care coverage for African American populations and highlights the social factors impacting their health outcomes. Since the passage of the Civil Rights Acts, there have undoubtedly been gains for Black Americans – educational attainment has greatly increased, income gains have been made, and life expectancy has gone up. However, these gains do not outweigh the considerable work remaining. African Americans are still paid less than their white counterparts for the same jobs, they lag significantly behind in homeownership, and this population continues to experience high rates of illness and lower life expectancies than other racial and ethnic groups. African Americans are also twice as likely to be uninsured as white Americans. The impacts of these social factors can been seen in the health disparities experienced by Black Americans: a maternal mortality rate more than three times that of white women, an infant mortality rate more than twice that of non-Hispanic white infants, and a child firearm mortality rate more than eight times that of white children. The authors highlight the importance of health care reform to address the inequalities in health care quality and access – such as Medicare for All and public insurance options. The report outlines, in detail, the necessary steps to be taken to provide universal health care coverage for this population.