Dominicans among highest health insured in U.S., according to new CUNY DSI study

In a landmark nationwide study, the City College of New York-based CUNY Dominican Studies Institute reports that Dominicans have among the highest health insurance coverage rates among Hispanics/Latinos. This is largely due to their significant reliance on public health insurance and publicly supported plans.

The report constitutes the first detailed national study focused specifically on the health insurance status of Dominicans in the United States.

It was co-authored by: 

• Ramona Hernández, Director of CUNY DSI and professor of sociology in CCNY’s Colin Powell for Civic and Global Leadership; 
   
• Francisco L. Rivera-Batiz, adjunct research associate at CUNY DSI and Professor Emeritus at Columbia University; and
   
• Sidie S. Sisay, research associate at CUNY DSI.

“The study shows that access to health coverage varies markedly across groups, with Dominicans relying overwhelmingly on publicly funded insurance as their primary and often only source of coverage,” said Hernández. “Any budget cuts in this area would have severe and disproportionate consequences for this community, placing Dominicans among the Latino groups most at risk of losing access to essential health services.”

Drawing on the latest American Community Survey data, the study shows that Dominicans have sharply reduced their uninsured rate over the last 15 years, cutting it by more than half. The outcome today is a demographic with one of the lowest uninsured rates among Hispanics/Latinos nationwide.

• Dominicans have reduced their uninsured rate by more than half over the past 15 years—dropping from over 20% (2008 - 2013) to 9.9% in 2024.
   
• In 2024, only 9.9% of Dominicans were uninsured, compared to 17.2% of Hispanics/Latinos overall, giving Dominicans one of the lowest uninsured rates among Latino groups.
   
• 44.5% of Dominicans rely exclusively on public health insurance, compared to 27.1% of the overall U.S. population.
   
• Nearly 50% of insured Dominicans receive some form of public support (Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, or Marketplace subsidies), compared to about 30% nationally.
   
• In New York City, home to nearly 691,000 Dominicans, the uninsured rate among Dominicans is just 5.4%, significantly lower than the national Dominican uninsured rate of 9.9%.

While the uninsured rate among Dominicans is slightly above that of the overall U.S. population, it is substantially lower than that of Hispanics/Latinos overall.

The report also identifies significant state-level variation. Massachusetts shows some of the lowest uninsured rates for both its overall population and Dominicans, while Texas has among the highest uninsured rates, affecting Dominicans and the general population alike.

New York City, home to the largest Dominican population in the United States, mirrors New York State’s comparatively low uninsured rate. Dominicans in New York City have even lower uninsured rates than Dominicans nationwide, reflecting the importance of state-level policy environments.

A central finding of the study is the heavy adoption of public health insurance among Dominicans. A significantly larger share of insured Dominicans rely exclusively on public insurance plans compared to the overall U.S. population. Additionally, nearly half of insured Dominicans benefit from some form of public support, whether through direct participation in programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or through public subsidies that help purchase private insurance plans.

This reliance on public support places the community in a vulnerable position amid ongoing policy debates and proposed reductions in Medicaid and other government programs. The scheduled expiration in 2025 of extended Marketplace subsidies for the purchase of private insurance is also likely to have a severe impact on Dominicans and other populations who depend on public assistance to secure coverage.

The authors conclude that public health insurance functions as an essential lifejacket for accessing health care in the United States, particularly for Dominicans, and warn that threats to government support for health insurance place both Dominicans and the broader population at risk.

For more information, to obtain the complete report, or to request interviews, please contact: Martha Borish mborish@ccny.cuny.edu .    

About the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Founded in 1992 at The City College of New York, the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI) is the nation’s first university-based research institute devoted to the study of people of Dominican descent in the United States and around the globe. CUNY DSI’s mission is to advance and share scholarship about Dominicans and the Dominican Republic through cutting-edge research, publications, and public programming.

The Institute is home to the Dominican Archives, the first and only of its kind outside the Dominican Republic, and the Dominican Library, the largest repository of bibliographic resources in the U.S. on Dominican Studies. Together, these unique institutions preserve and provide access to primary and secondary source materials documenting the Dominican experience. CUNY DSI also curates art exhibitions, lectures, and conferences, creating vital spaces for dialogue on culture, history, and identity. Under the leadership of renowned sociologist and public intellectual Dr. Ramona Hernández, CUNY DSI continues to be a national leader in shaping understanding of Dominican and Latino communities.