7/01/2024 –
Racial and ethnic disparities in health remain persistent in the United States, driven by inequities in access to and utilization of health care and social and economic factors that drive health, often referred to as social determinants of health (SDOH), that are rooted in historic and ongoing racism and discrimination. As a major source of health coverage for people of color, Medicaid programs are an important potential mechanism to address racial health disparities. Recent coverage gains across racial and ethnic groups between 2019-2022 were largely driven by increases in Medicaid enrollment as disenrollments were paused for three years during the pandemic related continuous enrollment provision. However, unwinding of the continuous enrollment provision could have disproportionate effects on people of color…
