Shedding Light on Discrimination in Health Care
KFF’s 2023 Survey on Racism, Discrimination, and Health gives a full report on the unjust practices and policies that plague our medical system.
Catherine Manthorp, BA, Senior Editor
Retina Today
AT A GLANCE Individuals of varying races and ethnicities have different experiences that have a resounding effect on their well-being, according to KFF’s 2023 Survey on Racism, Discrimination, and Health. Underrepresented populations are more likely to experience unfair treatment within the health care system at the hands of providers and the care, or lack thereof, they provide. Consequently, many American Indian and Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients reported feeling the need to switch health care providers or not seek care at all. Due to historic and ongoing policies often rooted in discriminatory practices, individuals of varying races and ethnicities have different experiences in their everyday lives that have a resounding effect on their well-being. Gender identity and sexual orientation also come into play to exacerbate these effects. The 2023 KFF Survey on Racism, Discrimination, and Health, conducted from June through August 2023, assessed a nationally representative sample of 6,292 US adults, seeking to uncover the manifestations of racism and discrimination in everyday life, including health care.1 HOW DISCRIMINATION MANIFESTS IN HEALTH CARE Despite the smaller sample size of those who identify as American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN; 267 vs 693 Asian adults, > 1,750 Hispanic adults, > 1,750 Black adults), the study authors decided to include results for this population to avoid contributing to data erasure and the invisibility of smaller populations.1 The study found that at least half of AIAN, Black, and Hispanic adults, and about four in 10 Asian adults, reported experiencing at least one type of discrimination at least a few times over the past year, and were more likely to attribute these experiences to their race or ethnicity compared with their White counterparts.1 Among the survey respondents, Hispanic (20%), AIAN (14%), and Black (10%) adults reported higher uninsured rates compared with White (6%) adults. Already at a disadvantage in their ability to access health care, these groups are also more likely to experience unfair treatment within the health care system.1 The Depth of Discrimination Most White survey respondents reported positive and respectful interactions with their health care providers most of the time over the last 3 years. The same, unfortunately, was not true for Hispanic, Black, Asian, and AIAN respondents. AIAN, Asian, Hispanic, and Black adults were about twice as likely as White adults to report that their health care providers explained things well just some of the time, rarely, or never. Similarly, about one in four AIAN adults and about one in five Black, Asian, and Hispanic adults reported that their health care providers understood and respected their cultural beliefs just some of the time, rarely, or never compared with about one in 10 White adults.1 The same groups were also more likely than their White counterparts to report that their providers did not frequently involve them in decision making about their care.