Black women face three times the pregnancy-related mortality rate of White women. Black patients receive kidney transplants at a 25 percent lower rate than White patients after clinical adjustments. Multiple studies document parallel gaps in procedures, medications, and costs across Black and Hispanic populations.
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.
Related reading
01 · Category
Insurance Coverage1 stats
01
3.5% of Black adults age 18–64 had Medicaid in 2019, compared with 1.8% for White adults age 18–64
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Quality Of Care6 stats
01
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
02
Black patients had a 19% lower probability of receiving guideline-recommended dialysis access surgery than White patients (Medicare study)
03
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)
04
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
05
In a national analysis (2013–2017), Hispanic women had a 7 percentage-point lower cervical cancer screening rate than White women
06
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)
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Health Disparities In Mortality5 stats
01
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
02
Hispanic/Latino persons accounted for 18% of the U.S. population but 27% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths (CDC reporting)
03
Hispanic Americans have a 0.9x age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate compared with White Americans (2018–2020 NHDS-based CDC analysis)
04
In 2019, maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic White women was 14.6 per 100,000 live births (CDC NCHS)
05
Black women had 3.0 times the pregnancy-related mortality rate of White women for a 2011–2015 period (Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report)
Interpretation
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.
04 · Category
Health Status & Outcomes1 stats
01
In 2021, current smoking prevalence was 10.7% among Hispanic adults vs 13.3% among White adults (NHIS-based CDC data)
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Access & Utilization2 stats
01
Hispanic adults had a 1.3x higher rate of emergency department visits for asthma than White adults in a CDC analysis of ED data
02
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
Interpretation
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.
06 · Category
Health Outcomes1 stats
01
5.8% of Hispanic adults reported having had a stroke in 2019 compared with 6.1% of White adults
Interpretation
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.
07 · Category
Cost & Coverage4 stats
01
In 2023, Hispanic Americans had 1.5 times the uninsured rate of White Americans in an analysis of American Community Survey microdata by KFF
02
In 2021, Hispanic adults had $802higher annual out-of-pocket spending (median) than White adults in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
03
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
04
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
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
08 · Category
Diagnosis & Treatment7 stats
01
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
02
35% higher odds of late-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis among Black patients versus White patients in a pooled analysis of population-based studies
03
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
04
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
05
1.4x higher odds of colorectal cancer screening nonadherence among Black adults compared with White adults in 2020–2021
06
23% higher odds of non-adherence to follow-up care after abnormal breast cancer screening among Black patients versus White patients
07
13% higher risk of readmission within 30 days for Black patients after coronary artery bypass grafting compared with White patients
Interpretation
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.
09 · Category
Policy & Systems3 stats
01
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
02
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
03
In 2023, 31% of hospitals reported difficulty obtaining complete race/ethnicity data, according to a 2023 HIMSS survey
Interpretation
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.
10 · Category
Care Access2 stats
01
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).
02
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.
Interpretation
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.
11 · Category
Quality & Outcomes2 stats
01
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).
02
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).
Interpretation
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.
12 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
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.
02
Every $1of 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).
03
A 2023 study estimated that disparities in maternal health are associated with $4.6 billion in increased health care costs over 10 years.
Interpretation
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.
13 · Category
System Drivers3 stats
01
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.
02
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.
03
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.
Interpretation
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.
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
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.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)