The Federal Effort to Desegregate Southern Hospitals and the Black-White Infant Mortality Gap

Arbeitspapier

In 1966, Southern hospitals were barred from participating in Medicare unless they discontinued their long-standing practice of racial segregation. Using data from five Deep South states and exploiting county-level variation in Medicare certification dates, we find that gaining access to an ostensibly integrated hospital had no effect on the Black-White infant mortality gap, although it may have discouraged small numbers of Black mothers from giving birth at home attended by a midwife. These results are consistent with descriptions of the federal hospital desegregation campaign as producing only cosmetic changes and illustrate the limits of anti-discrimination policies imposed upon reluctant actors.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 13920

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Health and Inequality ; Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health ; Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: U.S.; Canada: 1913-
• Subject: hospital desegregation ; black infant mortality ; Medicare ; civil rights

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Anderson, D. Mark ; Charles, Kerwin Kofi ; Rees, Daniel I.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2020

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/232672
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET