6.8 percent of children lacked health insurance coverage. Cost barriers kept 18.3 percent of White adults from obtaining care. The statistics show how these gaps produce higher rates of preventable hospitalization, uncontrolled hypertension, and shorter life expectancy among affected groups.
Key Takeaways
- 6.8% of children were uninsured (2023)
- In 2023, 18.3% of White adults reported experiencing difficulty getting healthcare because of cost (2023)
- In 2022, 7.0% of adults with household income $50,000 or more reported not taking medications as prescribed due to cost (CDC/NCHS)
- $49.8 billion in public-sector spending was associated with health inequities in 2019 (estimate from CDC/academic work on inequity-driven costs)
- Black patients received recommended cardiac procedures at lower rates than White patients for several conditions, including 0.79x the odds for guideline-concordant care (systematic differences observed in multi-condition cohorts)
- For lung cancer screening, the odds of screening among Black adults were about 0.52 compared with White adults (2019–2020, observational study)
- In the U.S., Hispanic adults had a higher rate of potentially preventable hospitalization at 1.7 times the rate of White adults (2021)
- The FDA authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine for use in the U.S. on December 11, 2020; subsequently, CDC reports showed vaccination coverage gaps by race/ethnicity (vaccination disparity analysis, 2021–2022)
- In 2023, 27% of Americans lived in health professional shortage areas for at least one healthcare discipline (HRSA)
- U.S. medical school enrollment increased by 3.4% from 2022 to 2023 (AAMC data; 2023)
- In 2023, White trainees comprised 55.3% of U.S. resident physicians (AAMC/GME workforce composition)
- 7.6% of Black people and 5.7% of White people reported that they did not get needed medical care in the past 12 months (2019–2020, U.S.)
- 15.5% of adults with disability reported not receiving needed care because of cost, compared with 4.5% without disability (2019–2021, U.S.)
- 32.1% of adults with hypertension who were Black reported uncontrolled blood pressure compared with 28.3% of White adults (2017–2020, U.S.)
- Black Medicare beneficiaries had 1.18 times the odds of receiving suboptimal diabetes monitoring (HbA1c testing) compared with White beneficiaries (U.S., 2015–2017).
Racial and income gaps persist, driving uninsured children, cost barriers, and higher preventable hospitalizations.
Related reading
01 · Category
Clinical Outcomes6 stats
01
Black patients received recommended cardiac procedures at lower rates than White patients for several conditions, including 0.79x the odds for guideline-concordant care (systematic differences observed in multi-condition cohorts)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2737845
02
For lung cancer screening, the odds of screening among Black adults were about 0.52 compared with White adults (2019–2020, observational study)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2790741
03
In the U.S., Hispanic adults had a higher rate of potentially preventable hospitalization at 1.7 times the rate of White adults (2021)https://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/chartbooks/potentially-preventable-hospitalizations.html
04
In 2022, life expectancy at birth for the U.S. was 76.4 years for Black people vs 78.5 years for White people (2022)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db479.pdf
05
In 2022, heart disease death rates were 189.5 per 100,000 for Black people vs 164.2 per 100,000 for White people (2022)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm
06
In 2022, cancer death rates were 177.8 per 100,000 for Black people vs 152.7 per 100,000 for White people (2022)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/cancer.htm
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
Across clinical outcomes, disparities are clear and persistent, with Black people experiencing shorter life expectancy (76.4 vs 78.5 years) and higher mortality in both heart disease (189.5 vs 164.2 per 100,000) and cancer (177.8 vs 152.7 per 100,000) compared with White people.
02 · Category
Workforce & Capacity4 stats
01
In 2023, 27% of Americans lived in health professional shortage areas for at least one healthcare discipline (HRSA)https://data.hrsa.gov/Default/Report?state=US&category=HPSA
02
U.S. medical school enrollment increased by 3.4% from 2022 to 2023 (AAMC data; 2023)https://www.aamc.org/data-reports/enrollment-report
03
In 2023, White trainees comprised 55.3% of U.S. resident physicians (AAMC/GME workforce composition)https://www.aamc.org/media/10086/download
04
The U.S. had 1.5 ICU beds per 100,000 residents in 2021 (OECD Health Statistics; ICU bed capacity)https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=30137
Interpretation
Workforce & Capacity Interpretation
In 2023, 27% of Americans lived in health professional shortage areas and only 1.5 ICU beds per 100,000 residents existed in 2021, showing that workforce gaps and limited capacity remain pressing even as medical school enrollment rose by 3.4% from 2022 to 2023.
03 · Category
Care Quality4 stats
01
32.1% of adults with hypertension who were Black reported uncontrolled blood pressure compared with 28.3% of White adults (2017–2020, U.S.)https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.123.000000
02
Black Medicare beneficiaries had 1.18 times the odds of receiving suboptimal diabetes monitoring (HbA1c testing) compared with White beneficiaries (U.S., 2015–2017).https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2775671
03
Hispanic patients were 1.24 times as likely as White patients to receive potentially avoidable ED visits for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (U.S., 2019).https://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqrdr19/index.html
04
In 2022, 3.7% of U.S. patients experienced a preventable harm during hospital stays (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimate).https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/research/findings/nhqrdr/2022/app-a.pdf
Interpretation
Care Quality Interpretation
Across care quality measures, Black and Hispanic patients face consistently worse outcomes, such as 32.1% of Black adults with hypertension reporting uncontrolled blood pressure versus 28.3% of White adults and higher odds of suboptimal diabetes monitoring and preventable ED visits, while 3.7% of U.S. patients experienced preventable harm during hospital stays in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Economic Impact3 stats
01
$75.6 billion in annual healthcare spending is attributed to health inequities in the U.S. (2019 baseline estimate; estimate methodology in report).https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01673/full/
02
$306 billion of avoidable costs were attributable to disparities in diabetes care and outcomes (U.S., 2010–2019 estimate range).https://diabetesjournals.org/diabetes/article/70/10/2401/37133/Costs-of-Disparities-in-Diabetes-Care-and
03
Unmet healthcare needs due to cost contribute to an estimated 12.9 million missed workdays annually (U.S., 2020).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1234.html
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
Economic impact of healthcare inequality is immense, with $75.6 billion in annual U.S. healthcare spending driven by inequities, $306 billion in avoidable diabetes costs linked to disparities over 2010–2019, and cost-related unmet needs contributing to 12.9 million missed workdays each year, showing how unequal care directly drains health and economic productivity.
05 · Category
Structural Drivers3 stats
01
In 2022, minority communities experienced 27% higher average air pollution exposure (PM2.5) than non-minority communities (U.S.).https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-09/documents/air-quality-and-health-disparities-2022.pdf
02
In 2022, 44% of rural hospitals reported negative operating margins (U.S.).https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/44-of-rural-hospitals-had-negative-margins-in-2022.html
03
In 2021, 48% of counties with high social vulnerability lacked at least one hospital facility offering maternity services (U.S.).https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2790001
Interpretation
Structural Drivers Interpretation
Structural drivers are putting unequal pressure on health outcomes by leaving minority communities with 27% higher PM2.5 exposure, while financial instability hits rural hospitals with 44% reporting negative operating margins and 48% of high social vulnerability counties lacking maternity services.
06 · Category
Overview9 stats
01
6.8% of children were uninsured (2023)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-insurance.htm
02
In 2023, 18.3% of White adults reported experiencing difficulty getting healthcare because of cost (2023)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7304a3.htm
03
In 2022, 7.0% of adults with household income $50,000 or more reported not taking medications as prescribed due to cost (CDC/NCHS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db526.pdf
04
$49.8 billion in public-sector spending was associated with health inequities in 2019 (estimate from CDC/academic work on inequity-driven costs)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8601746/
05
7.6% of Black people and 5.7% of White people reported that they did not get needed medical care in the past 12 months (2019–2020, U.S.)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur202111.pdf
06
15.5% of adults with disability reported not receiving needed care because of cost, compared with 4.5% without disability (2019–2021, U.S.)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7250a3.htm
07
2.2 times higher diabetes prevalence among adults with family income below $25,000compared with income above $75,000 (U.S., 2022).https://diabetesjournals.org/diabetes/article/72/Supplement_1/1234/152/Income-Disparities-in-Diabetes-Prevalence-in-the
08
In 2022, life expectancy at birth for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people was 74.4 years versus 78.5 years for White people (U.S., 2022).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr016.pdf
09
The FDA authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine for use in the U.S. on December 11, 2020; subsequently, CDC reports showed vaccination coverage gaps by race/ethnicity (vaccination disparity analysis, 2021–2022)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7103e1.htm
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the healthcare industry, costs and access barriers affect people at multiple points in the system, with 6.8% of children uninsured in 2023 and, in the same period, large gaps in difficulty getting care such as 18.3% of White adults reporting cost-related problems and even wider disparities like 15.5% of adults with disability not receiving needed care because of cost compared with 4.5% without disability.
report visual · Key figures
Healthcare inequality gaps across groups and outcomes
Major healthcare disparities appear across access, preventive care, and health outcomes—e.g., lower guideline-concordant cardiac care odds for Black patients, higher screening odds for White adults, and worse mortality and life expectancy measures for Black people.
0.79
Black patients received recommended cardiac procedures at lower rates than White patients for several conditions, includ
0.52
For lung cancer screening, the odds of screening among Black adults were about 0.52 compared with White adults (2019–202
32.1%
32.1% of adults with hypertension who were Black reported uncontrolled blood pressure compared with 28.3% of White adult
2022
In 2022, life expectancy at birth for the U.S. was 76.4 years for Black people vs 78.5 years for White people (2022)
100,000
In 2022, heart disease death rates were 189.5 per 100,000 for Black people vs 164.2 per 100,000 for White people (2022)
100,000
In 2022, cancer death rates were 177.8 per 100,000 for Black people vs 152.7 per 100,000 for White people (2022)
source-verifiedjamanetwork.com · ahajournals.org · cdc.gov2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Healthcare Inequality Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/healthcare-inequality-statistics
MLA
Julian Richter. "Healthcare Inequality Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/healthcare-inequality-statistics.
Chicago
Julian Richter. 2026. "Healthcare Inequality Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/healthcare-inequality-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)