Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Outcomes Through a Publicly Financed Insurance Expansion

Grantee Name

Community Service Society of New York

Funding Area

Expanding Health Care Coverage

Publication Date

June 2011

Grant Amount

$174,137

Grant Date:

April 1, 2008–June 30, 2009

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

Print

Racial and ethnic minorities in New York are disproportionately uninsured and suffer worse health outcomes than whites.

Approximately 22% of black adults, 31% of Latino adults and 22% of Asian/Pacific Islander adults are uninsured, compared with 13% of white adults, according to data from the 2007 Current Population Survey as reported by the Community Service Society of New York (CSSNY). To address this issue, CSSNY provided policymakers with proposals and recommendations to reduce racial disparities in health care access and outcomes for New Yorkers enrolled in public insurance programs.

This project was part of a larger NYHealth Coverage Consortium that funded 10 grants to seven universities, policy institutes, and community agencies across the State, supporting projects that could inform State health reform efforts, offer ways to streamline enrollment in public programs, significantly reduce costs and improve quality, and test ideas for expanding coverage among small employers, sole proprietors, and self-employed people.

Read an NYHealth special report that contains a summary of findings from this consortium.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

Reviewed literature and interviewed experts about initiatives to reduce disparities underway in New York and elsewhere.
Analyzed quality of care and enrollment/retention data collected by the State regarding enrollment in managed care plans for publicly insured enrollees.
Convened a Racial Disparities Roundtable with public officials, managed care plan administrators, providers, and advocates to present findings and gather feedback.
Produced two policy briefs and presented findings to 16 members of the State legislative Black, Latino, and Asian Caucuses.

Read the reports associated with this grant, “Promoting Equity & Quality in New York’s Public Insurance Programs.”

Part One

Part Two

Back to Grant Outcomes