Access to health insurance has improved in Westchester County, with just 6% of residents under 65 lacking health insurance in 2019 – down from 13% in 2010.
Health disparities persist among racial and ethnic groups in the county. African Americans in Westchester County had the highest mortality rate in 2016-18, at 611 per 100,000 people, higher than whites (543), Hispanics (381) and Asians (266).
Deaths from diabetes were an especially striking example. In 2016-18, mortality due to diabetes was twice as high among African Americans at 24 per 100,000 as among Hispanics and Asians (both at 10 per 100,000) and whites (8 per 100,000).
Health disparities can largely be attributed to inequalities in economic status, education, and occupation. Structural racism drives several key social determinants of health, such as lower levels of income and generational wealth; less access to healthy food, water and public spaces; environmental damage; and the stress of prolonged discrimination. Black Americans receive less and lower-quality care for conditions like cancer, heart problems, pneumonia, prenatal and maternal health and overall preventive health.
Other health conditions were more equal opportunity in Westchester County. For example, whites and African Americans in Westchester County had about equal mortality rates from chronic lower respiratory disease at 22 and 21 per 100,000, respectively, in 2016-18. Hispanics had the third highest rate (13 per 100,000) followed by Asians (5 per 100,000).
Whites in Westchester County had the highest suicide rate at 8.8 per 100,000 followed by Asians (6.6), African Americans (4.5) and Hispanics (3.3).
