Read the full report here.
Washington, DC — As part of Black History Month, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report showing expanding the Affordable Care Act will help Black communities recover from the pandemic and address longstanding racial disparities in health care. The report comes as the House is poised to pass the American Rescue Plan, which includes desperately needed pandemic relief and builds on the Affordable Care Act with historic provisions to lower health care costs, expand coverage, and incentivize holdout states to expand Medicaid. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:
“This report shows just how critical the American Rescue Plan is in working to eliminate racial inequities. Black people face systemic barriers to care and are overrepresented in the jobs that are on the front lines of battling the virus Black Americans are more likely to get sick and 1.4 times more likely to die from the virus. In addition to taking bold action to end the pandemic, restart our economy and get working families back on their feet, the American Rescue Plan includes critical health care provisions to expand coverage and lower costs while addressing stark racial disparities in health care that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. That’s why it’s so important to pass the American Rescue Plan.”