Implications of the American Rescue Plan Act on Healthcare Equity for African Americans
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract (300 words maximum)
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people, including the marginalized group of African Americans suffered equitably, in terms of healthcare. African Americans reached their highest level of unemployment, at 16.8 percent, as of May 2020. Due to the immense need for government assistance from the American people, Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. This was a timely bill that provided stimulus checks, continuous payments for households earning less than $90,000 annually, and tax cuts. Three hundred and sixty billion dollars were allocated to states to compensate those on the frontlines of the pandemic. In total, about $1 trillion was utilized to alleviate the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem of healthcare accessibility and affordability for African Americans in the United States is deeply rooted in history. African Americans often face higher levels of poverty which makes it difficult to afford healthcare costs, even with insurance. This can result in delayed or foregone medical care. This study will investigate whether the American Rescue Plan Act was able to effectively reduce healthcare disparities and improve the accessibility of insurance coverage for African Americans. Using rapid review methods, we researched the potential implications of the American Rescue Plan Act in relation to healthcare accessibility and affordability for African Americans. The rapid review assessed the policies of ARPA by using systematic review methods to search for and critically appraise existing research. Statistically, ARPA has led to an upward trajectory in the number of insured African Americans, increasing from 9 percent in 2019 to 15 percent as of 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act has effectively improved health insurance coverage and care accessibility for African Americans.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CCOB - Economics, Finance & Quantitative Analysis
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Weiwei Chen
Implications of the American Rescue Plan Act on Healthcare Equity for African Americans
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people, including the marginalized group of African Americans suffered equitably, in terms of healthcare. African Americans reached their highest level of unemployment, at 16.8 percent, as of May 2020. Due to the immense need for government assistance from the American people, Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. This was a timely bill that provided stimulus checks, continuous payments for households earning less than $90,000 annually, and tax cuts. Three hundred and sixty billion dollars were allocated to states to compensate those on the frontlines of the pandemic. In total, about $1 trillion was utilized to alleviate the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem of healthcare accessibility and affordability for African Americans in the United States is deeply rooted in history. African Americans often face higher levels of poverty which makes it difficult to afford healthcare costs, even with insurance. This can result in delayed or foregone medical care. This study will investigate whether the American Rescue Plan Act was able to effectively reduce healthcare disparities and improve the accessibility of insurance coverage for African Americans. Using rapid review methods, we researched the potential implications of the American Rescue Plan Act in relation to healthcare accessibility and affordability for African Americans. The rapid review assessed the policies of ARPA by using systematic review methods to search for and critically appraise existing research. Statistically, ARPA has led to an upward trajectory in the number of insured African Americans, increasing from 9 percent in 2019 to 15 percent as of 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act has effectively improved health insurance coverage and care accessibility for African Americans.