Drawing on the Urban Institute’s April 2021 Health Reform Monitoring Survey, we estimate the share of nonelderly adults who reported ever experiencing unfair treatment or judgment because of their racial or ethnic background at a doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital. We also assess whether a health care provider, front office staff member, or someone else treated or judged adults unfairly and whether these experiences led to any disruptions to their health care.

We find that 5.7 percent of adults reported ever experiencing unfair treatment or judgment because of their race or ethnicity. These adults indicated that they experienced unfair treatment or judgment from health care providers and front office staff at about equal rates. More than 6 in 10 adults who reported they were ever treated or judged unfairly experienced a disruption to their health care. Implementing strategies that reduce unfair treatment related to race and ethnicity by both providers and front office staff could help avoid unnecessary disruptions to care and reduce racial and ethnic inequities in health and health care.