President Barack Obama's health care law made historic headway in boosting health insurance coverage, but a new report finds that families still face racial and socioeconomic disparities even if they are insured.
The report, released by the Alliance for a Just Society, is the result of a yearlong study that included a survey of 1,200 low-income people in 10 states and was conducted in Spanish, Cantonese and English. It found that people of color, families in rural communities and those with language and cultural barriers still struggle to get health care and pay for it.
The Affordable Care Act increased insurance availability for the poor by expanding Medicaid eligibility to more people based on their income level. The law originally intended for all states to expand Medicaid, but the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that states could choose not to do so. Twenty-two states currently have not expanded the program.
[MORE: Is Obamacare Behind Health Improvements, Job Growth?]
The lack of Medicaid expansion in some states has contributed to costs being a barrier to insurance coverage for some, Gary Delgado, author of the report and a visiting scholar at the University of California-Berkeley's Institute for the Study of Social Change, said in a call with reporters Thursday.
He noted, however, that cost was a struggle even in states that expanded Medicaid, where insurance premiums paid by people every month can be high.
"While the racial barriers are significant, the biggest barrier for enrollment for people of color was premium cost," he said.