The racial implications of medical debt: How moving toward universal health care and other reforms can address them

Higher rates of COVID-19 infection among essential and frontline workers put a spotlight on underinsured laborers. Essential workersthose who perform a range of jobs and services that are necessary for society to function well, including but not limited to occupations in health care, food service, and public transportationare less likely to have insurance and are more likely to be underinsured than non-essential workers. However, a 2020 Brookings report found that Black essential workers are more likely to be uninsured than white essential workers. Similarly, an Urban Institute analysis found that Black workers are more likely to be essential and frontline workers (a sub-category of essential workers comprised of people who cannot work from home), and they are more likely to be underinsured. The Urban Institute study adds that the problem of not having adequate insurance is even more acute for American Indian or Alaska Native and Latino or Hispanic workers. In order to achieve equity for the lowest paid and most essential frontline workers of color, the American health insurance and health care systems need a radical restructuring.