New Report Examines The State Of Minorities In The Economy
CAP Reports Analyze State of Communities of Color in the US
With the Martin Luther King Day soon upon us, the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund have published a number of articles analyzing the current economic and health status of communities of color in the country.
In “The State of Minorities in the Economy,” CAP Senior Fellow Christian E. Weller and Research Assistant Luke Reidenbach demonstrate that minorities are suffering disproportionately in the recession. They argue that shifts in policy to reflect the varying needs of communities of color are necessary in order to create structural changes to reverse the economic disparities.
In the factsheet “Racial Health Disparities by the Numbers,” CAP Visiting Fellow Lesley Russell and Special Assistant for Health Policy Sonia Sekhar break down key data that reflect how communities of color are disproportionately affected by the failings of our health care system:
- Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to be insured than white Americans.
- Racial and ethnic minorities have higher infant mortality rates and lower life expectancies than whites.
- Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to have choices in where they seek care, and are less likely to have access to a regular doctor.
- Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive preventive treatment or care than their nonminority counterparts, despite having higher rates of some diseases and health problems.
In “Health Disparities in LGBT Communities of Color by the Numbers” and its accompanying memo by Jeff Krehely, CAP Action’s Director of the LGBT Research and Communications Project, show that disparities in health outcomes are exacerbated for people of color who also are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Some of the findings include:---
- 64 percent: Percent of LGB Latino adults who have health insurance coverage compared to 77 percent of all LGB adults and 82 percent of the heterosexual adult population.
- 30 percent: Percent of LGB African-American adults who are likely to delay or not get needed medication compared to 19 percent of African-American heterosexual adults.
- 26 percent: Percent of LGB Latino adults who don’t have a regular source for basic health care.
- 25 percent: Percent of LGB Asian or Pacific Islander adults who experience psychological distress, a rate more than four times higher than heterosexual Asians and Pacific Islanders and 2.5 times more than the general heterosexual population.
To deal with these disparities CAP calls on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish an Office of LGBT Health to take the lead in coordinating a consistent and scientifically driven response across HHS to LGBT health disparities and overall health care.
Finally, in “A Dream Deferred?” CAP Senior Fellow Sam Fulwood III and Half in Ten Manager Melissa Boteach argue that one of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s goals was to end poverty in the country, which was an audacious goal for him at the time, but one that has gained relevance in light of the recession.
Read the column (CAPAF)
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The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. We work to find progressive and pragmatic solutions to significant domestic and international problems and develop policy proposals that foster a government that is "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
