18 percent of people delayed emergency care over fears of discrimination. 35 percent of adults report facing bias from doctors or nurses. Multiple studies link these experiences to higher rates of missed treatment and worse mental health.
Key Takeaways
- 18% of people who had a medical emergency within the past year reported that they delayed care due to concerns about discrimination
- 23% of women reported lower-quality treatment by clinicians they believed was related to race/ethnicity during childbirth
- In 2021, 32% of transgender adults reported experiencing discrimination when trying to obtain healthcare
- In 2020, 19% of adults who sought mental health services reported experiencing discrimination when seeking or receiving mental health care
- In 2019, 27.7% of adults reported experiencing discrimination in healthcare settings (median across sampled experiences) in the U.S.
- In 2023, OCR conducted 10,000+ compliance reviews as part of enforcement and oversight activities
- In 2020, 3.1 million people reported they did not have health coverage due to costs, affecting access and increasing exposure to discriminatory treatment in systems that require coverage
- As of 2023, 15 states required hospitals to report language access and interpreter availability as part of compliance with civil rights/communication requirements (state-based reporting rules)
- Discrimination in healthcare is associated with higher odds of delaying care: a meta-analysis found significantly increased likelihood of delaying or not seeking care among groups reporting discrimination
- In a systematic review (2019), patients reporting discrimination had higher odds of poor mental health outcomes, including stress and depressive symptoms
- In a 2020 cohort study, perceived racial discrimination was linked to elevated risk of allostatic load markers over time
- In 2021, the American Medical Association reported that 1 in 4 physicians (25%) experienced discrimination or harassment in professional settings (a factor influencing provider behavior and patient experiences indirectly)
- In 2023, 2.6% of hospital stays involved a patient-identified language barrier as recorded by hospitals in standardized admission processes (reported within national dataset used by researchers)
- 35% of U.S. adults reported that they had experienced discrimination when interacting with a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional (national survey, 2021)
- 46% of respondents reported difficulty getting medical providers to understand their needs (survey-based finding in healthcare disparities research, 2021)
Discrimination in healthcare still drives delayed and poorer care, with millions affected by bias and language barriers.
Related reading
01 · Category
Outcomes Impact12 stats
01
Discrimination in healthcare is associated with higher odds of delaying care: a meta-analysis found significantly increased likelihood of delaying or not seeking care among groups reporting discrimination
02
In a systematic review (2019), patients reporting discrimination had higher odds of poor mental health outcomes, including stress and depressive symptoms
03
In a 2020 cohort study, perceived racial discrimination was linked to elevated risk of allostatic load markers over time
04
In a 2018 study, perceived discrimination in healthcare was associated with worse self-rated health among African American adults (odds ratio reported in study results)
05
In a 2017 systematic review, discrimination experiences were associated with lower healthcare utilization (including preventive services) across multiple studies
06
In a 2021 study, individuals reporting discrimination in healthcare had higher odds of not completing recommended cancer screenings
07
In 2019, a randomized trial found that structured patient-communication interventions reduced perceived bias ratings among standardized patients (effect size reported in paper)
08
In a 2020 analysis, language barriers and discriminatory communication practices explained measurable portions of gaps in timely follow-up care after emergency department visits (percent gaps reported)
09
In a 2022 study, experiences of discrimination in maternity care were associated with increased reports of postpartum complications and dissatisfaction (reported effect estimates)
10
In a 2023 JAMA Network Open study, racial/ethnic discrimination was associated with worse hypertension treatment outcomes (hazard ratios and confidence intervals reported)
11
In a 2021 study, perceived discrimination was associated with increased likelihood of smoking and reduced adherence to diabetes care recommendations (effect estimates reported)
12
In a 2016 cross-sectional study, discrimination experiences were associated with a 1.3x higher prevalence of unmet healthcare needs among U.S. adults (prevalence ratio reported)
Interpretation
Outcomes Impact Interpretation
Across studies in the Outcomes Impact category, discrimination in healthcare is consistently linked with worse health trajectories, including significantly higher odds of delaying care, poorer mental health and self-rated health, greater allostatic load over time, lower healthcare utilization, and higher odds of not completing recommended cancer screenings.
02 · Category
Policy Enforcement4 stats
01
In 2023, OCR conducted 10,000+ compliance reviews as part of enforcement and oversight activities
02
In 2020, 3.1 million people reported they did not have health coverage due to costs, affecting access and increasing exposure to discriminatory treatment in systems that require coverage
03
As of 2023, 15 states required hospitals to report language access and interpreter availability as part of compliance with civil rights/communication requirements (state-based reporting rules)
04
In 2022, Title VI and Section 1557 rules covering discrimination in healthcare were enforced through HHS complaint investigation mechanisms using nondiscrimination standards
Interpretation
Policy Enforcement Interpretation
In 2023, OCR ramped up enforcement with 10,000+ compliance reviews, reflecting a strong policy enforcement trend under civil rights rules like Title VI and Section 1557 that also coincides with expanded language access reporting requirements in 15 states.
03 · Category
Disparities Prevalence3 stats
01
In 2021, 32% of transgender adults reported experiencing discrimination when trying to obtain healthcare
02
In 2020, 19% of adults who sought mental health services reported experiencing discrimination when seeking or receiving mental health care
03
In 2019, 27.7% of adults reported experiencing discrimination in healthcare settings (median across sampled experiences) in the U.S.
Interpretation
Disparities Prevalence Interpretation
In the Disparities Prevalence category, discrimination in healthcare is common and affects multiple groups, with reported rates ranging from 19% of adults seeking mental health services in 2020 to 27.7% of adults in 2019 and reaching 32% among transgender adults in 2021.
More related reading
04 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
35% of U.S. adults reported that they had experienced discrimination when interacting with a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional (national survey, 2021)
02
46% of respondents reported difficulty getting medical providers to understand their needs (survey-based finding in healthcare disparities research, 2021)
03
25% of people who were asked to bring someone to interpret said they were not given language services when needed (survey finding, 2019)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In the User Adoption category, discrimination and communication barriers appear to be a major reason people do not fully engage with care, with 35% of U.S. adults reporting discrimination by healthcare professionals, 46% struggling to get providers to understand their needs, and 25% saying they were not given needed language services.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
18% of U.S. adults who reported being treated unfairly in healthcare also reported that it led to them not following recommended treatment (survey finding, 2021)
02
3.4 million additional adults delayed care due to cost and discrimination-related concerns in 2021 (modeled estimate from 2021 survey analysis)
03
Approximately 1 in 5 healthcare dollars are associated with preventable harm and inequity (U.S. inequity-and-quality cost estimate, 2021)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that discrimination in healthcare is financially consequential, with 18% of affected U.S. adults saying it kept them from recommended treatment, 3.4 million more adults delaying care in 2021 due to cost and discrimination concerns, and about 1 in 5 healthcare dollars tied to preventable harm and inequity.
06 · Category
Industry Overview8 stats
01
40% of patients reported they would be less likely to return to a provider after witnessing discrimination (patient choice survey, 2019)
02
56% of clinicians reported encountering implicit-bias training content as part of ongoing education (U.S. clinician survey, 2021)
03
22% of healthcare workers reported feeling they lacked training to address discrimination complaints by patients (workforce survey, 2020)
04
18% of people who had a medical emergency within the past year reported that they delayed care due to concerns about discrimination
05
23% of women reported lower-quality treatment by clinicians they believed was related to race/ethnicity during childbirth
06
In 2021, the American Medical Association reported that 1 in 4 physicians (25%) experienced discrimination or harassment in professional settings (a factor influencing provider behavior and patient experiences indirectly)
07
In 2023, 2.6% of hospital stays involved a patient-identified language barrier as recorded by hospitals in standardized admission processes (reported within national dataset used by researchers)
08
73% of hospitals indicated they had interpreter services available, but only 49% reported consistent availability across departments (hospital survey finding, 2021)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the healthcare industry, discrimination appears to have a tangible impact on both trust and care decisions, with 40% of patients saying they would be less likely to return after witnessing it and 18% delaying emergency care due to discrimination concerns, even as training gaps persist with 22% of healthcare workers reporting they lack training to address patient discrimination complaints.
report visual · Key figures
Discrimination in healthcare: growing evidence across outcomes
Across studies over multiple years, discrimination in healthcare settings is consistently associated with worse health outcomes and reduced care utilization.
27.7%
In 2019, 27.7% of adults reported experiencing discrimination in healthcare settings (median across sampled experiences)
19%
In 2020, 19% of adults who sought mental health services reported experiencing discrimination when seeking or receiving
2017
In a 2017 systematic review, discrimination experiences were associated with lower healthcare utilization (including pre
2021
In a 2021 study, individuals reporting discrimination in healthcare had higher odds of not completing recommended cancer
2018
In a 2018 study, perceived discrimination in healthcare was associated with worse self-rated health among African Americ
2019
In a systematic review (2019), patients reporting discrimination had higher odds of poor mental health outcomes, includi
source-verifiedahrq.gov · samhsa.gov · pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov2021
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Discrimination In Healthcare Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/discrimination-in-healthcare-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Discrimination In Healthcare Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/discrimination-in-healthcare-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Discrimination In Healthcare Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/discrimination-in-healthcare-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)