Health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities remain a deep-rooted challenge in the United States, with Hispanic, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) people faring worse than White people across most health and health care measures. The uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic drew new attention to these inequities, but they have been documented for decades and reflect longstanding structural and systemic inequities rooted in historical and ongoing racism and discrimination. Data from the KFF 2023 Survey on Racism, Discrimination, and Health show ongoing experiences with racism and discrimination, including in health care settings, which further widen the gap.
Hispanic, Black, and AIAN adults are more likely to be uninsured, lack a usual health care provider, and go without care due to cost. For example, AIAN and Hispanic adults under age 65 have uninsured rates of 19% and 18%, respectively, compared to 7% for White adults. Among adults with any mental illness, Hispanic (44%), Black (39%), and Asian (33%) adults are less likely than White adults (58%) to receive mental health services. Life expectancy is also lower for AIAN (70.1 years) and Black (74.0 years) people compared to White people (78.4 years). Pregnancy-related mortality rates are more than three times higher among Black women compared to White women.
Food insecurity, crowded housing, and poverty rates are all higher among Hispanic, Black, and AIAN households. Black and AIAN people have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and asthma, and Black people are more than twice as likely to die from cancer despite similar or lower rates of incidence. Drug overdose death rates are highest among AIAN and Black people. Experiences of discrimination in daily life and in health care are reported by at least half of AIAN, Black, and Hispanic adults, with greater frequency among Black and AIAN adults.
See: “Key Data on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity” (Dec 16, 2025)
