Biotech
Friday, March 1st, 2024 4:14 pm EDT
Key Points
- Despite initial increases in insured rates among the non-elderly population in the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 3.4 million Americans enrolling in health coverage between 2019 and 2022, disparities persist, particularly affecting people of color.
- In 2022, 10% of Black Americans were uninsured, compared to 6.6% of white Americans, with Black individuals being 1.5 times more likely to lack insurance. Similar disparities exist for American Indian or Alaskan Native individuals (2.9 times more likely) and Hispanic Americans (2.7 times more likely).
- The primary driver of the racial coverage gap is attributed to states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, leaving uninsured adults below the poverty line with limited options and contributing to administrative barriers in the renewal process, leading to coverage lapses for millions of Americans
Recent changes in Medicaid programs aimed at bridging the health coverage gap in the U.S. have inadvertently left some Americans, particularly people of color, without adequate coverage. While the insured rates among the non-elderly population increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, with approximately 3.4 million Americans enrolling in health coverage between 2019 and 2022, disparities persisted, especially affecting Black Americans who remained disproportionately uninsured compared to their white counterparts. In 2022, 10% of Black Americans lacked insurance, while only 6.6% of white Americans faced a similar situation. This disparity was even more pronounced for other minority groups, such as American Indian or Alaskan Native individuals, who were nearly three times as likely to be uninsured as white individuals, and Hispanic Americans, who were 2.7 times more likely.
Jennifer Wagner, a director at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, highlighted that the primary driver of this racial coverage gap was the lack of Medicaid expansion in certain states under the Affordable Care Act, which disproportionately affected Black individuals residing in these states due to restrictive eligibility criteria. Despite Medicaid being a joint federal-state program providing health insurance to low-income individuals, not all states have expanded coverage, leaving many uninsured adults with limited options, particularly those falling below the poverty line but not meeting the existing coverage requirements.
Compounding the issue, Black Americans, who often face higher unemployment rates than the national average, are less likely to have employer-sponsored health insurance due to being overrepresented in low-income jobs that may not offer such benefits. Additionally, the discontinuation of a Medicaid provision automatically reenrolling participants for coverage further exacerbated the disparity, leading to millions inadvertently losing coverage. However, efforts by community health centers like West Oakland Health, which primarily serves minority and low-income households in California, aim to address this gap by proactively reaching out to patients and facilitating the renewal process to ensure continued coverage. Despite these challenges, ongoing efforts are necessary to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all Americans, particularly those most vulnerable to coverage gaps.
For the full original article on CNBC, please click here: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/29/medicaid-challenges-leave-many-black-americans-uninsured.html
