Health Equity

How Foundational Moments In Medicaid’s History Reinforced Rather Than Eliminated Racial Health Disparities

Abstract: The past months have laid bare the inextricable connection between two pandemics in the United States: COVID-19, which is disproportionately affecting Black Americans, and systemic racism, which has set the foundation for the stark health disparities we see today.

Publication: Health Affairs

Date Published: September 1, 2020

Author(s): LaShyra T. Nolen, Adam L. Beckman and Emma Sandoe

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This analysis of California’s state budget from 2007 to 2018 finds that to ensure the long-term health of the state, California needs to eliminate health care waste and direct the savings toward increased funding for programs that improve community conditions—like public education, public health, housing assistance, food assistance, and income support.