Black and Hispanic Ohioans are dying from preventable causes at far higher rates than their white and AANHPI neighbors, and many are skipping basic medical care because they cannot afford it, according to a sweeping new national analysis.
Black Ohioans face about 493 avoidable deaths per 100,000 people, compared with roughly 309 per 100,000 for white Ohioans. Hispanic Ohioans see about 205 avoidable deaths per 100,000. The same study finds Hispanic residents are much more likely to fall through the cracks on coverage, with about 22.6 percent uninsured and roughly 24.5 percent saying they went without care because of cost.
The findings come from the Commonwealth Fund’s 2026 State Health Disparities Report, released April 29, which scored racial and ethnic groups across 24 measures of access, quality, and outcomes using 2022–24 data. According to the Commonwealth Fund, these gaps track with long standing differences in insurance coverage, medical debt, and social supports. "As a primary care physician, I've seen how racial and ethnic disparities not only harm the people experiencing them, but also weaken the entire system," Commonwealth Fund president Joseph R. Betancourt said in the report's release.
Local coverage from Axios Columbus pulled out the Ohio snapshot in stark relief: Black residents had 493 avoidable deaths per 100,000, Hispanic residents 205, white residents 309, and AANHPI residents 115. Axios also highlighted the steep infant mortality gap, with about 13.1 deaths per 1,000 live births for Black infants versus 6.7 for Hispanic infants, along with the high uninsured rate among Hispanic Ohioans. Those figures, the outlet notes, show how differences in insurance and economic stress translate into different life expectancies depending on which side of town you live on.
What's driving the gap
The report points to state policy choices, including Medicaid eligibility rules, the burden of medical debt, and limited family and parent supports, as key drivers of the disparities, and it maps out specific policy levers for change. As the Commonwealth Fund lays out, recommended steps include expanding access to affordable insurance, strengthening primary care, protecting preventive services, and targeting digital health tools to hard to reach communities. The study ranked each group on a percentile scale from 1 (worst) to 100 (best) to spotlight where systems are falling shortest.
Where Ohio stands
State officials have taken some steps to shore up care, but local advocates warn that short term patches will not close gaps this wide. The state's Controlling Board recently freed roughly $202 million in federal Rural Health Transformation funds to support rural hospitals and birthing centers, even as a state audit flagged potential missteps in Medicaid enrollment that auditors estimated could amount to billions in improper payments. Those competing pressures new dollars for struggling hospitals on one side and anxiety over Medicaid integrity and reimbursement on the other complicate how Ohio will decide where and how to invest to reduce disparities.
What comes next
Experts say the data hand policymakers a clear roadmap, but following it will take political will and sustained cash, not just sympathetic press releases. Analysis in STAT notes the report's authors stress that policy choices shape life and death differences, while coverage from Healthcare Dive warns federal funding cuts could widen inequities if states do not step in. For Ohio, closing the divide will mean pairing immediate supports such as insurance outreach, primary care investments, and debt relief efforts with longer term social supports that help families stay healthy long before they reach an emergency room.
