According to a national study, health insurance and various options may be readily available to minorities, but few opt to get insured.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reveals that individuals of color negatively perceive their health status despite increased access to coverage.
According to Health Day, the findings are based on “over 596,000 U.S. adults that took part in a periodic federal health survey between 1999 and 2018. In 1999, low-income Black Americans were most likely to rate their health as ‘poor’ or ‘fair,’ with 29% saying so. That compared with roughly 6% of middle- to high-income white adults.’”
The survey reveals that by 2018, the percentages remained constant, which includes insured Texans.
Health Day added that Americans of all races said they had skipped medical care or prescriptions in the past year because of costs. The highest rates were among low-income Black and white adults, with one-fifth to one-quarter saying they had forgone medical care due to their inability to pay for proper care.
Texas health insurance broker Rick Thornton said not all news is bad news. Citing the study, researchers noted that the percentage of Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans who were uninsured shrank considerably from 1999 to 2018. The study went on to credit the Affordable Care Act for expanding Medicaid programs in many states.
Thornton added that time would tell how officials can improve healthcare and Americans’ perception of healthcare at the same time.