Policymakers Aim to Blunt Pandemic Impact on People of Color

Oct 16
Oct 16, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially harmful to people of color in the U.S., as they are more likely to suffer financial hardship, extreme cases of the disease or death than the white population. Experts say the devastation to communities of color is the product of systemic racism — particularly a lack of access to insurance coverage and quality care — and the pandemic’s economic consequences will make all of those problems worse.

According to a Sept. 15 report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and the Epic Health Research Network, people of color were more likely to test positive for COVID-19 and to require a higher level of care at the time of diagnosis compared to white patients, and they also were more likely to be hospitalized and die from the novel coronavirus than white patients were. The report found that:
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Peter Johnson

Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.