Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Equity in Health Care Access and Utilization for Indigenous Women

Indigenous women are at alarmingly elevated risk for increased maternal morbidity and mortality. A lack of access to affordable, continuous, and high-quality health care from preconception through pregnancy and postpartum has been identified as an important, modifiable risk factor. This project will quantitatively assess whether the impacts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on health care access and utilization were equitable between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women.  

This work will increase understanding of how historical, cultural, and healthcare contexts unique to specific Indigenous nations, regions, and tribes moderated the ACA's impact on women's access to and utilization of preventive health care. The transition to a new US presidential administration—and ongoing conversations about the future of the ACA—represent opportunities to translate findings from this research to improve equity in access to and utilization of care for Indigenous reproductive age women.