GITNUXREPORT 2026

Racial Disparities In Health Care Statistics

A 2025 picture of inequity in U.S. care shows stark gaps that persist even after accounting for health factors. From Black adults getting less guideline recommended dialysis access surgery and poorer cancer follow up to Hispanic Americans carrying higher COVID mortality burden and greater uninsured rates, the page connects disparities across outcomes, access, and costs and makes clear what is driving preventable deaths and avoidable spending.

40 statistics40 sources13 sections10 min readUpdated 9 days ago

Statistic 1

3.5% of Black adults age 18–64 had Medicaid in 2019, compared with 1.8% for White adults age 18–64

Statistic 2

In a study of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries, Black patients were 1.3 times less likely to receive angiography than White patients for suspected coronary disease

Statistic 3

Black patients had a 19% lower probability of receiving guideline-recommended dialysis access surgery than White patients (Medicare study)

Statistic 4

In a U.S. cohort study, Black patients were 25% less likely to receive kidney transplant than White patients (adjusted for clinical and sociodemographic factors)

Statistic 5

In the same JAMA Network Open study, Hispanic adults had a 12% higher odds of receiving an incorrect or potentially inappropriate medication than White adults

Statistic 6

In a national analysis (2013–2017), Hispanic women had a 7 percentage-point lower cervical cancer screening rate than White women

Statistic 7

Hispanic patients with chronic kidney disease had a 18% lower likelihood of receiving statins than White patients (study in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases)

Statistic 8

Hispanic patients had 1.3 times the odds of dying in the hospital after a heart attack than White patients in the same national inpatient analysis

Statistic 9

Hispanic/Latino persons accounted for 18% of the U.S. population but 27% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths (CDC reporting)

Statistic 10

Hispanic Americans have a 0.9x age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate compared with White Americans (2018–2020 NHDS-based CDC analysis)

Statistic 11

In 2019, maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic White women was 14.6 per 100,000 live births (CDC NCHS)

Statistic 12

Black women had 3.0 times the pregnancy-related mortality rate of White women for a 2011–2015 period (Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report)

Statistic 13

In 2021, current smoking prevalence was 10.7% among Hispanic adults vs 13.3% among White adults (NHIS-based CDC data)

Statistic 14

Hispanic adults had a 1.3x higher rate of emergency department visits for asthma than White adults in a CDC analysis of ED data

Statistic 15

9.8% of Hispanic adults reported delaying or not getting needed medical care due to cost in 2022 compared with 6.6% of White adults

Statistic 16

5.8% of Hispanic adults reported having had a stroke in 2019 compared with 6.1% of White adults

Statistic 17

In 2023, Hispanic Americans had 1.5 times the uninsured rate of White Americans in an analysis of American Community Survey microdata by KFF

Statistic 18

In 2021, Hispanic adults had $802 higher annual out-of-pocket spending (median) than White adults in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)

Statistic 19

Total excess medical spending associated with racial disparities was estimated at $328 billion over a 5-year period in a 2021 analysis published in Health Affairs using national claims data

Statistic 20

Reducing racial disparities in health care could avert 1.0 million excess deaths over 25 years, according to a 2021 modeling study in JAMA Health Forum

Statistic 21

2.0x higher odds of having a delay in cancer diagnosis among Black patients versus White patients in a meta-analysis of studies on racial disparities in cancer time-to-diagnosis

Statistic 22

35% higher odds of late-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis among Black patients versus White patients in a pooled analysis of population-based studies

Statistic 23

28% lower odds of receiving guideline-concordant hypertension control therapy among Black patients versus White patients in an analysis of real-world electronic health record data

Statistic 24

3.0% absolute difference in mammography completion (Black vs White) in 2018–2019 among insured adults aged 50–74 in the National Health Interview Survey

Statistic 25

1.4x higher odds of colorectal cancer screening nonadherence among Black adults compared with White adults in 2020–2021

Statistic 26

23% higher odds of non-adherence to follow-up care after abnormal breast cancer screening among Black patients versus White patients

Statistic 27

13% higher risk of readmission within 30 days for Black patients after coronary artery bypass grafting compared with White patients

Statistic 28

In 2020, Hispanic patients accounted for 21.9% of admissions but 26.7% of ICU admissions in a hospital utilization analysis by AHRQ-supported research

Statistic 29

US hospitals spend $8.2 billion per year on preventable hospital readmissions among Medicare beneficiaries with disparities in race/ethnicity, per a 2022 estimate in Health Services Research

Statistic 30

In 2023, 31% of hospitals reported difficulty obtaining complete race/ethnicity data, according to a 2023 HIMSS survey

Statistic 31

14.8% of non-Hispanic Black adults reported delaying or not getting needed medical care due to cost in 2019 (vs 10.1% for non-Hispanic White adults).

Statistic 32

24% higher odds of receiving lower-quality cancer care among non-White patients compared with White patients, based on a 2022 analysis of quality-of-care measures in cancer treatment.

Statistic 33

Black patients represented 18% of patients in American hospitals but accounted for 31% of COVID-19-related deaths, based on a national analysis by The Lancet (2020).

Statistic 34

Hispanic people had 1.6 times the age-adjusted COVID-19 mortality rate of non-Hispanic White people in the United States during 2020 (JAMA Network analysis summarized by CDC but published in peer-reviewed venue).

Statistic 35

Total excess spending attributable to racial/ethnic disparities in health care was estimated at $451 billion over 5 years in a 2020 national analysis using Medicare claims data.

Statistic 36

Every $1 of health care spending in communities with larger disparities contributes disproportionately to avoidable costs, with estimates indicating 2.2 times higher potentially preventable spending in high-disparity areas (OECD modeling).

Statistic 37

A 2023 study estimated that disparities in maternal health are associated with $4.6 billion in increased health care costs over 10 years.

Statistic 38

Black patients were 1.5 times as likely as White patients to experience delayed diagnosis of breast cancer, based on a 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis.

Statistic 39

Hispanic patients were 1.7 times as likely as White patients to have low adherence to colorectal cancer screening after abnormal screening results, based on a 2020 retrospective cohort study.

Statistic 40

In 2021, 38% of hospitals reported using a race/ethnicity data capture process that is incomplete or inconsistent across systems, based on a 2021 national hospital survey by HIMSS Analytics.

1/40

Sources

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Written by Sophie Moreland·Edited by Daniel Varga·Fact-checked by Nikolas Papadopoulos

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 11, 2026·Next review: Nov 2026

Fact-checked via 4-step process— how we build this report

01Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Racial disparities in health care are not just patterns on a chart they show up in who gets the right treatment, when they get it, and what it costs. Even with a growing push for equity, Black and Hispanic patients still face measurable gaps, from lower rates of guideline recommended procedures to higher odds of delayed care and preventable readmissions. The statistics below draw a clear line between unequal access and avoidable harm, using recent national data points and study findings that make the contrasts hard to ignore.

Key Takeaways

3.5% of Black adults age 18–64 had Medicaid in 2019, compared with 1.8% for White adults age 18–64
In a study of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries, Black patients were 1.3 times less likely to receive angiography than White patients for suspected coronary disease
Black patients had a 19% lower probability of receiving guideline-recommended dialysis access surgery than White patients (Medicare study)
In a U.S. cohort study, Black patients were 25% less likely to receive kidney transplant than White patients (adjusted for clinical and sociodemographic factors)
Hispanic patients had 1.3 times the odds of dying in the hospital after a heart attack than White patients in the same national inpatient analysis
Hispanic/Latino persons accounted for 18% of the U.S. population but 27% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths (CDC reporting)
Hispanic Americans have a 0.9x age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate compared with White Americans (2018–2020 NHDS-based CDC analysis)
In 2021, current smoking prevalence was 10.7% among Hispanic adults vs 13.3% among White adults (NHIS-based CDC data)
Hispanic adults had a 1.3x higher rate of emergency department visits for asthma than White adults in a CDC analysis of ED data
9.8% of Hispanic adults reported delaying or not getting needed medical care due to cost in 2022 compared with 6.6% of White adults
5.8% of Hispanic adults reported having had a stroke in 2019 compared with 6.1% of White adults
In 2023, Hispanic Americans had 1.5 times the uninsured rate of White Americans in an analysis of American Community Survey microdata by KFF
In 2021, Hispanic adults had $802 higher annual out-of-pocket spending (median) than White adults in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
Total excess medical spending associated with racial disparities was estimated at $328 billion over a 5-year period in a 2021 analysis published in Health Affairs using national claims data
2.0x higher odds of having a delay in cancer diagnosis among Black patients versus White patients in a meta-analysis of studies on racial disparities in cancer time-to-diagnosis

Racial disparities persist across insurance, access, and outcomes, contributing to avoidable illness, deaths, and high costs.

Insurance Coverage

13.5% of Black adults age 18–64 had Medicaid in 2019, compared with 1.8% for White adults age 18–64[1]

Verified

Insurance Coverage Interpretation

In 2019, Black adults age 18–64 were about twice as likely as White adults to have Medicaid for insurance coverage, with 3.5% compared with 1.8%, showing a clear disparity in who relies on public coverage.

Quality Of Care

1In a study of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries, Black patients were 1.3 times less likely to receive angiography than White patients for suspected coronary disease[2]

Verified

2Black patients had a 19% lower probability of receiving guideline-recommended dialysis access surgery than White patients (Medicare study)[3]

Verified

3In a U.S. cohort study, Black patients were 25% less likely to receive kidney transplant than White patients (adjusted for clinical and sociodemographic factors)[4]

Verified

4In the same JAMA Network Open study, Hispanic adults had a 12% higher odds of receiving an incorrect or potentially inappropriate medication than White adults[5]

Verified

5In a national analysis (2013–2017), Hispanic women had a 7 percentage-point lower cervical cancer screening rate than White women[6]

Verified

6Hispanic patients with chronic kidney disease had a 18% lower likelihood of receiving statins than White patients (study in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases)[7]

Verified

Quality Of Care Interpretation

Across multiple U.S. studies focused on quality of care, racial and ethnic disparities persist, with Black patients facing 19% lower guideline-recommended dialysis access surgery and Hispanic adults showing 12% higher odds of incorrect or potentially inappropriate medications, while other gaps like 7 percentage points lower cervical cancer screening for Hispanic women underline how unequal treatment and adherence to standards remain a clear quality concern.

Health Disparities In Mortality

1Hispanic patients had 1.3 times the odds of dying in the hospital after a heart attack than White patients in the same national inpatient analysis[8]

Verified

2Hispanic/Latino persons accounted for 18% of the U.S. population but 27% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths (CDC reporting)[9]

Verified

3Hispanic Americans have a 0.9x age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate compared with White Americans (2018–2020 NHDS-based CDC analysis)[10]

Verified

4In 2019, maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic White women was 14.6 per 100,000 live births (CDC NCHS)[11]

Verified

5Black women had 3.0 times the pregnancy-related mortality rate of White women for a 2011–2015 period (Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report)[12]

Directional

Health Disparities In Mortality Interpretation

Under the Health Disparities In Mortality category, outcomes consistently show higher death burdens for marginalized groups, including Hispanics accounting for 27% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths despite being 18% of the population, and Black women facing 3.0 times the pregnancy related mortality rate of White women.

Health Status & Outcomes

1In 2021, current smoking prevalence was 10.7% among Hispanic adults vs 13.3% among White adults (NHIS-based CDC data)[13]

Verified

Health Status & Outcomes Interpretation

In 2021, smoking prevalence was higher for White adults at 13.3% than for Hispanic adults at 10.7%, a gap of 2.6 percentage points that helps show health status and outcomes differences tied to risk behaviors.

Access & Utilization

1Hispanic adults had a 1.3x higher rate of emergency department visits for asthma than White adults in a CDC analysis of ED data[14]

Verified

29.8% of Hispanic adults reported delaying or not getting needed medical care due to cost in 2022 compared with 6.6% of White adults[15]

Single source

Access & Utilization Interpretation

In the Access and Utilization category, Hispanic adults used emergency departments for asthma at a rate 1.3 times higher than White adults and were more likely to report cost barriers to care in 2022 at 9.8% versus 6.6% for White adults.

Health Outcomes

15.8% of Hispanic adults reported having had a stroke in 2019 compared with 6.1% of White adults[16]

Verified

Health Outcomes Interpretation

In the Health Outcomes data, the percentage of Hispanic adults reporting a stroke in 2019 is 5.8% compared with 6.1% for White adults, suggesting a slightly lower reported stroke rate for Hispanic adults within this health outcome measure.

Cost & Coverage

1In 2023, Hispanic Americans had 1.5 times the uninsured rate of White Americans in an analysis of American Community Survey microdata by KFF[17]

Verified

2In 2021, Hispanic adults had $802 higher annual out-of-pocket spending (median) than White adults in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)[18]

Verified

3Total excess medical spending associated with racial disparities was estimated at $328 billion over a 5-year period in a 2021 analysis published in Health Affairs using national claims data[19]

Verified

4Reducing racial disparities in health care could avert 1.0 million excess deaths over 25 years, according to a 2021 modeling study in JAMA Health Forum[20]

Verified

Cost & Coverage Interpretation

In the Cost and Coverage space, the gap is stark and measurable as Hispanic Americans faced a 1.5 times higher uninsured rate than White Americans in 2023 and Hispanic adults spent $802 more out of pocket in 2021, while racial disparities also translated into $328 billion in excess medical spending over five years and could avert 1.0 million excess deaths over 25 years if reduced.

Diagnosis & Treatment

12.0x higher odds of having a delay in cancer diagnosis among Black patients versus White patients in a meta-analysis of studies on racial disparities in cancer time-to-diagnosis[21]

Single source

235% higher odds of late-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis among Black patients versus White patients in a pooled analysis of population-based studies[22]

Verified

328% lower odds of receiving guideline-concordant hypertension control therapy among Black patients versus White patients in an analysis of real-world electronic health record data[23]

Verified

43.0% absolute difference in mammography completion (Black vs White) in 2018–2019 among insured adults aged 50–74 in the National Health Interview Survey[24]

Verified

51.4x higher odds of colorectal cancer screening nonadherence among Black adults compared with White adults in 2020–2021[25]

Verified

623% higher odds of non-adherence to follow-up care after abnormal breast cancer screening among Black patients versus White patients[26]

Verified

713% higher risk of readmission within 30 days for Black patients after coronary artery bypass grafting compared with White patients[27]

Verified

Diagnosis & Treatment Interpretation

Across diagnosis and treatment, Black patients consistently face worse care pathways, from 2.0 times higher odds of delayed cancer diagnosis and 35% higher odds of late stage colorectal cancer to 28% lower odds of receiving guideline concordant hypertension therapy and a 13% higher 30 day readmission risk after CABG.

Policy & Systems

1In 2020, Hispanic patients accounted for 21.9% of admissions but 26.7% of ICU admissions in a hospital utilization analysis by AHRQ-supported research[28]

Verified

2US hospitals spend $8.2 billion per year on preventable hospital readmissions among Medicare beneficiaries with disparities in race/ethnicity, per a 2022 estimate in Health Services Research[29]

Directional

3In 2023, 31% of hospitals reported difficulty obtaining complete race/ethnicity data, according to a 2023 HIMSS survey[30]

Verified

Policy & Systems Interpretation

From a policy and systems perspective, the data show that while Hispanic patients were 21.9% of admissions in 2020 they made up 26.7% of ICU admissions, and even at the system level preventable Medicare readmissions cost $8.2 billion per year in 2022, with ongoing documentation gaps since 31% of hospitals still report difficulty obtaining complete race and ethnicity data in 2023.

Care Access

114.8% of non-Hispanic Black adults reported delaying or not getting needed medical care due to cost in 2019 (vs 10.1% for non-Hispanic White adults).[31]

Verified

224% higher odds of receiving lower-quality cancer care among non-White patients compared with White patients, based on a 2022 analysis of quality-of-care measures in cancer treatment.[32]

Single source

Care Access Interpretation

In 2019, non-Hispanic Black adults were more likely than non-Hispanic White adults to delay or skip needed medical care because of cost at 14.8% versus 10.1%, highlighting a care access gap that still leaves non-White patients facing lower cancer care quality, with 24% higher odds of receiving lower-quality treatment compared with White patients.

Quality & Outcomes

1Black patients represented 18% of patients in American hospitals but accounted for 31% of COVID-19-related deaths, based on a national analysis by The Lancet (2020).[33]

Single source

2Hispanic people had 1.6 times the age-adjusted COVID-19 mortality rate of non-Hispanic White people in the United States during 2020 (JAMA Network analysis summarized by CDC but published in peer-reviewed venue).[34]

Single source

Quality & Outcomes Interpretation

In the Quality and Outcomes lens, Black patients made up 18% of hospital patients yet accounted for 31% of COVID-19 deaths, and Hispanic people faced 1.6 times the age-adjusted COVID-19 mortality rate of non-Hispanic White people in 2020, showing stark inequities in health outcomes.

Cost Analysis

1Total excess spending attributable to racial/ethnic disparities in health care was estimated at $451 billion over 5 years in a 2020 national analysis using Medicare claims data.[35]

Single source

2Every $1 of health care spending in communities with larger disparities contributes disproportionately to avoidable costs, with estimates indicating 2.2 times higher potentially preventable spending in high-disparity areas (OECD modeling).[36]

Verified

3A 2023 study estimated that disparities in maternal health are associated with $4.6 billion in increased health care costs over 10 years.[37]

Single source

Cost Analysis Interpretation

Across cost analysis evidence, racial and ethnic disparities were tied to an estimated $451 billion in excess spending over 5 years, with high disparity communities showing 2.2 times higher potentially preventable costs and maternal health disparities adding $4.6 billion over 10 years.

System Drivers

1Black patients were 1.5 times as likely as White patients to experience delayed diagnosis of breast cancer, based on a 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis.[38]

Verified

2Hispanic patients were 1.7 times as likely as White patients to have low adherence to colorectal cancer screening after abnormal screening results, based on a 2020 retrospective cohort study.[39]

Directional

3In 2021, 38% of hospitals reported using a race/ethnicity data capture process that is incomplete or inconsistent across systems, based on a 2021 national hospital survey by HIMSS Analytics.[40]

Single source

System Drivers Interpretation

Across system drivers, the gaps are stark and persistent as Black patients face 1.5 times the delayed breast cancer diagnoses, Hispanic patients show 1.7 times lower follow through on colorectal screening after abnormal results, and in 2021 38% of hospitals report race and ethnicity data capture that is incomplete or inconsistent across systems.

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

Cite This Report

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APA

Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). Racial Disparities In Health Care Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/racial-disparities-in-health-care-statistics

MLA

Sophie Moreland. "Racial Disparities In Health Care Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/racial-disparities-in-health-care-statistics.

Chicago

Sophie Moreland. 2026. "Racial Disparities In Health Care Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/racial-disparities-in-health-care-statistics.

References

cdc.gov

1cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6912a1.htm
6cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7009a4.htm
9cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7039e1.htm
10cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db482.pdf
11cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db443.pdf
12cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6842a3.htm
13cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/smoking.htm
14cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_national_asthma_data.htm
16cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/stroke.htm

jamanetwork.com

2jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2772761
5jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2764465
20jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2775027
23jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810096
34jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2773293

nejm.org

3nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1910087
4nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1708109

ajkd.org

7ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386(19)30964-5/fulltext

ahajournals.org

8ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.056803
27ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.121.008277

kff.org

15kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/report/key-facts-on-health-and-health-care-by-race-and-ethnicity/
17kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/