RWJF Statement on "Friend of the Court" Filing in Mississippi v. Becerra

PRINCETON, N.J.—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi in support of the U.S. government’s position in the case Mississippi v. Becerra. 

“Racism has no place in U.S. healthcare, whether institutional or overt. Discrimination on the basis of race has prevented millions from receiving quality healthcare over decades and has diminished the trust between medical providers and patients that is vital to achieving better health and wellbeing.

“The Medicare incentive program at issue in this case offers anti-racism plans as an important strategy for helping to right such wrongs. The program encourages physicians and other clinicians to reduce racial disparities in care and promote health equity through quality improvement strategies.

“Implementing anti-racism plans can improve the healthcare system as a whole, leading to benefits for all patients. This is true for maternal health, cancer, kidney disease, and so many other medical conditions.  

“The court should find for the United States Department of Health and Human Services and support a healthcare system that ensures everyone—regardless of race—receives high quality care.

—Avenel Joseph, PhD, interim executive vice president, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. To get there, we must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to achieve health equity faster and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.