The Hill-Burton Act: Instituting Healthcare Infrastructure and Perpetuating Structural Racism

The Hill-Burton Act, signed into law in 1946, expanded access to hospital care and healthcare infrastructure in the United States. The policy improved healthcare availability, especially for Black Americans, as it created and improved hospitals through federal funding. However, many hospitals continued to deny equal access to Black Americans, and discrimination persisted through a lack of integration. Additionally, reduced effects of segregation more commonly stemmed from the changing attitudes of doctors toward segregation rather than the policy itself. Ultimately, by extending the decision from Plessy v. Ferguson, the Act contributed to the idea of separate but equal, contributing to racial segregation in hospitals and disparities in health outcomes for Black Americans.