Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in an Era of Health Care Reform

Though the general U.S. population has experienced significant improvements in its health through the decades, disparities between historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and white Americans persist. With the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (P.L. 111-148) and the release of Healthy People 2020 report (HP 2020) in 2010, for the first time the United States has complementary health care legislation to link to its strategic national health goals and thus has the potential to truly alter the landscape of racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. This article reviews provisions within the ACA and complementary HP 2020 objectives and their implications for health of historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Implications and opportunities for social work during this era of health care reform are also discussed.