Black Household Income Slashed: The government shutdown will hurt many of its workers, however, a disproportionate number of the 800,000 furloughed federal workers are African-Americans, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Blacks make up nearly 1 in 5 non-postal federal employees. When the government starts to issue temporary pink slips to nearly a million federal employees, many African-American households, already working on tight budgets, will suffer even more. They have rent and home mortgages to pay, children’s tuition due, and food and clothes to buy.
Health Needs Delayed: The 110 million Americans already enrolled in Medicare—the government health program for the elderly—and Medicaid—the federal and state partnership to provide health insurance to the working poor and their children—will continue to receive the services and treatment that they need. However, new applications to these programs will be delayed until the government reopens. Many low-income African-Americans, who are a significant part of the 11.5 million consumers expected to become newly insured under an expanded Medicaid program mandated by the Affordable Care Act, will see a delay in access to affordable health care.
