“Racial disparities are among the most persistent and well documented in the U.S. health care system,” said a Commonwealth Fund report. Recent funding cuts and policy changes threaten to exacerbate existing racial health disparities in Ohio and beyond.
Health disparities between racial and ethnic groups persist in the U.S. health care system. Ohio ranks poorly for health system performance across various demographics. For example, it ranked 33rd for white people, 16th-worst for Hispanics, and 10th-worst for Black people.
The expiration of enhanced marketplace credits from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is expected to worsen these disparities. Nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts were part of the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act. As a result, 15 million Americans have been thrown off the healthcare that they need, according to Senator Bernie Sanders.
Key statistics:
- 10 million people projected to be newly uninsured by 2034 due to the 2025 bill
- 1 million decrease in ACA plan enrollment from 2025 to 2026
- 23.1 million consumers enrolled in ACA plans for 2026
- 4 million people expected to lose expiring tax credits that subsidized their coverage
In 2010, there were 47 million uninsured people in America; by 2016, this number dropped to 27 million due to the ACA. Yet, funding cuts threaten this progress.
Joseph Betancourt emphasized, “We know you cannot fix what you cannot measure.” This highlights the importance of monitoring health disparities as policies evolve.
The implications of these changes are significant. Joe Biden remarked, “This is a big fucking deal.” The future of health care access in Ohio could hinge on how these funding cuts are addressed.
