Press Releases

Biden-Harris Administration Releases Data Showing Historic Gains in Health Care Coverage in Minority Communities

HHS Announces Record Investment in Navigators to Connect Underserved Populations to Coverage 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued five new reports today showing historic gains in health care coverage and highlighting increases in coverage among minority communities since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) coverage provisions. The coverage gains are in great part due to the Biden-Harris Administration’s continuous efforts to increase access to affordable, quality health care, especially in underserved communities, and underscore the importance of the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax breaks that lower health care costs and make marketplace plans more affordable. HHS also announced a new, historic $500 million investment in Navigators, who play a key role in helping people across the country sign up for health care, particularly in underserved communities who have been too often ignored. 

Please find soundbites from Secretary Becerra in English and Spanish here.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is laser focused on making sure everyone can get health care, regardless of the color of their skin,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Today’s data show just how far we have come in reaching Black, Latino, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and American Indian and Alaskan Native populations, who are disproportionately uninsured. HHS is doubling down on our efforts by announcing another historic investment in Navigators, helping us continue to reach record enrollment in underserved communities.” 

“President Biden firmly believes that health care is a right, not a privilege, and is committed to making sure that everyone one of us has the peace of mind that health insurance brings,” said White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden. “These reports show that by making health insurance more affordable, more accessible, and easier to sign up for, millions of Americans in underserved communities are now able to access the health care they need and deserve.”

“Behind the historic health equity gains championed by the Biden-Harris Administration are the countless communities we are connecting to health care coverage, often for the first time,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “The combination of asking the right questions and unprecedented investments in Marketplace outreach will help us better understand the communities we serve, making coverage more attainable than ever for people who are our neighbors, friends, and loved ones.”

New Data on Coverage Gains in Minority Communities

Four new reports from HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) provide in-depth data on gains in health care coverage in minority communities between 2010 and 2022. The uninsurance rate for the following populations declined as follows from 2010-2022, based on available census data:

• Black Americans: 20.9% to 10.8% 
• Latinos: 32.7% to 18%
• Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI): 16.6% to 6.2%
• American Indians and Alaska Natives(AI/AN): 32.4% to 19.9%

Today, HHS is also releasing an ASPE issue brief titled, "Improving Access to Affordable and Equitable Health Coverage: A Review from 2010 to 2024,” which outlines the actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to help more people get and keep coverage after the previous Administration’ attempts to gut funding and enforcement.

New Funding for Navigators

The Biden-Harris Administration is continuing its robust investment in Navigators, who help people across the country - especially in underserved communities - sign up for health care coverage, by announcing today the availability of $500 million in grants over the next five years. Navigators have been incredibly effective, helping contribute to the record-breaking number of people – 21.4 million – who signed up for health care coverage through the Marketplaces during the 2024 Open Enrollment Period.

The Navigators’ effectiveness is demonstrated by how many people in underserved communities have signed up for Marketplace coverage in 2024:

• Twenty-two percent of enrollees who report their race/ethnicity are Latino. If the percentage is the same among those not reporting, the estimated number of Latino Americans with Marketplace coverage in 2024 would be approximately five million. 
• Nine percent of enrollees who report their race/ethnicity are Black. If the percentage is the same among those not reporting, the estimated number of Black Americans with Marketplace coverage in 2024 would be almost two million.
• About 12 percent of enrollees who report their race/ethnicity are AANHPI. If the percentage is the same among those not reporting, the estimated number of AANHPI Americans with Marketplace coverage in 2024 would be over 2.5 million.
• One percent of enrollees who report their race/ethnicity are AI/AN. If the percentage is the same among those not reporting, the estimated number of AI/AN Americans with Marketplace coverage in 2024 would be 200,000.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expects to award a total of $500 million over the five-year period of performance, provided in five budget periods of 12 months each. For the first 12-month budget period, to be awarded this fall, $100 million is available, the largest investment in the Navigator program to date. 

Past awards for Navigators:

• 2024: $100 million (expected)
• 2023: $98.6 million 
• 2022: $98.9 million 
• 2021: $90.2 million
• 2020: $10 million
• 2019: $10 million
• 2018: $10 million
• 2017: $36.8 million
• 2016: $63 million

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