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The Affordable Care Act and African Americans
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By:
Wilma Robinson and Kenneth Finegold, ASPEAbstract
The Affordable Care Act includes provisions that will greatly improve the health of African Americans by increasing their access to affordable health insurance coverage and high-quality care. New estimates from RAND suggest that 3.8 million African Americans who would otherwise be uninsured will gain coverage by 2016 through the expansion of Medicaid eligibility and the creation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Valuable benefits, including coverage for young adults and preventive services without cost-sharing, are already in effect and benefiting African Americans across the country.
Racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care in the United States are pervasive and well-documented. Racial and ethnic minorities still lag behind their non-Latino White counterparts across a range of health indicators, including life expectancy, prevalence of chronic diseases, and access to quality care.1,2 In addition, individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups make up about one-third of the nation’s population, but are at higher risk than the general population of being uninsured, making up over half of the estimated 50 million Americans with no health insurance coverage.3 An estimated 20.8 percent of African Americans are uninsured, compared with 16.3 percent of all Americans.4
The Affordable Care Act includes provisions that will greatly improve the health of African Americans by increasing their access to affordable health insurance coverage and high-quality care.5 New estimates from RAND suggest that 3.8 million African Americans who would otherwise be uninsured will gain coverage by 2016 through the expansion of Medicaid eligibility and the creation of Affordable Insurance Exchanges. Valuable benefits, including coverage for young adults and preventive services without cost-sharing, are already in effect and benefiting African Americans across the country.
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Expanded Insurance Coverage:
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Preventive Health Services
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Endnotes
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