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Historical Racial Oppression and Healthcare Access: Unveiling Disparities Post-ACA in the American South

Author

Listed:
  • Vinish Shrestha

    (Department of Economics, Towson University)

Abstract

This study investigates geographical disparities in the implementation and effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by linking them to the historical legacy of racial oppression in the American South. Using a cross-border regression discontinuity design that leverages variations in racial oppression intensity, we find that bordering counties in states with less oppressive regime experienced significantly greater benefits from the ACA compared to neighboring counties in more oppressive states. This divergence in insurance outcomes, which did not exist before the ACA, underscores the influence of historical racial regimes on contemporary policy efficacy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that political preferences from the Jim Crow era are correlated with the observed variations in ACA effectiveness. Our findings suggest that the racialization of the ACA is deeply rooted in the historical context of racial oppression in the American South.

Suggested Citation

  • Vinish Shrestha, 2024. "Historical Racial Oppression and Healthcare Access: Unveiling Disparities Post-ACA in the American South," Working Papers 2024-09, Towson University, Department of Economics, revised Jul 2024.
    • Handle: RePEc:tow:wpaper:2024-09
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • B15 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary

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