# Universal basic income and structural racism in the US South: Differences in health service utilization between older African American men with and without experiences of recent incarceration

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF ARKANSAS FOR MED SCIS · 2023 · $1,138,487

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Structural racism and discrimination (SRD) are complex and drive racial inequities. SRD has sustained racial
health disparities in the United States, driven disproportionate incarceration risk among Black men, and
systematically restricted minority populations from health, wealth, and prosperity. As a result, diminished
income earning ability for generations of Black people has led to economic devastation and poor health.
Importantly, older and aging Black men continue to earn less than their White counterparts and the income gap
is continuing to widen. Even when accounting for education, research has shown that the rising wage gap is
attributable to workforce experience and opportunity, hiring and wage discrimination, and incarceration.
Difficulty attaining prevailing wages among older Black men affects family stability, the ability for communities
to thrive, and population health. Geography, place, and proximity to capital and markets are underlying drivers
of health behavior and healthcare access. As a result, older and aging Black men in particular have
demonstrated one of the strongest epidemiologic relationships between low socioeconomic status, residence
in communities with endemic poverty, and chronic disease. The proposed Stage 3 efficacy study aims to test a
novel intervention that directly reduces the racial income gap by providing a universal basic income (UBI). UBI
is intended to promote and protect Black men's health through the influx of capital and subsequent increases in
personal agency and social connections. We hypothesize that providing UBI of $500 per month for six months
will result in increased healthcare utilization among chronically-ill, older and aging, low-income Black men.
Secondarily, we hypothesize that the effect of UBI will depend on whether an individual has a recent history of
incarceration, such that no incarceration history combined with UBI will demonstrate the best study outcomes.
Empirical research examining UBI among older Black men and its capacity to overturn SRD are lacking in the
extant literature. Much of the health disparities research intended to inform health and economic policy
originated from limited perspectives of older and aging Black men. Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois said in The Souls of
Black Folk that for Black people, “discouragement is an unwritten word”. This study draws on that inspiration as
it ultimately seeks to fundamentally overturn the economic oppression and brutality that has defined the Black
experience for generations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10622335
- **Project number:** 5R01MD017509-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF ARKANSAS FOR MED SCIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Brooke E.E. Montgomery
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $1,138,487
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-05-14 → 2027-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10622335

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10622335, Universal basic income and structural racism in the US South: Differences in health service utilization between older African American men with and without experiences of recent incarceration (5R01MD017509-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10622335. Licensed CC0.

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