The Link Between Race and Health, in Five Charts

While access to health insurance has long been considered a "great equalizer among patients," a new study published by NORC found that racial and ethnic identifiers are greater indicators of health than insurance status. For the study, researchers analyzed self-reported data from individuals enrolled in an employer-sponsored health plan from 2017 to 2019. The study found Black people were more likely to have high blood pressure than white, Hispanic, and Asian individuals. Overall, 46.5% of enrollees had high blood pressure, compared with 60.4% of Black enrollees.