Latino leadership highlights benefits of enrolling in new health insurance options during National Hispanic Health Week of Action

PRESS RELEASE
October 21, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 36 of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, held a news conference at the National Press Club to kick off the National Hispanic Health Week of Action and launch NHLA’s campaign to raise awareness among Hispanic families about the affordable health coverage options available through the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace and encourage families and individuals to enroll. Currently, almost one in three Latinos do not have health insurance. Over 10 million currently uninsured Latinos will now have access to affordable coverage.

"For far too long, the Latino community has faced stark health disparities and the Affordable Care Act provides our member organizations with an historic opportunity to increase Latinos’ access to health care, and it’s an opportunity we are seizing across the nation, in communities and online. As a community we cannot sit back and fall into the criticism of a website, but insist that the challenges be addressed as quickly as possible so that the 10 million uninsured Latinos eligible for new affordable health insurance options are able to enroll. We hope and expect that these issues will be addressed very soon. In the meantime, we as a coalition will continue our national campaign to educate and encourage enrollment,” said Hector Sanchez, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).

Many of NHLA's member organizations have held outreach events for the Hispanic community and plan further efforts as part of the National Hispanic Health Week of Action. For example, LULAC will host a town hall in Washington, D.C. on October 28, along with other events, as part of its Latinos Living Healthy initiative. The National Hispanic Medical Association launched its Covered Hispanics Campaign with six regional forums in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Atlanta, New York City, and Washington, DC and has also begun an awareness campaign on social media. Voto Latino has launched a digital information campaign reaching nearly 175,000 online followers.

"The Affordable Care Act provides an historic opportunity for millions of uninsured Americans to get high-quality health coverage. The opening of the marketplaces are also the gateways to lasting change for Latinos who have for so long been disconnected from our health system. NCLR and its Affiliate network are committed to doing our part to ensure that we reach the 10.2 million individuals in our community who are eligible for coverage,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

NHLA's Latinos United for Healthcare campaign encourages families to learn more about new affordable health coverage options at HealthCare.gov or CuidadoDeSalud.gov and to call the bilingual hotline, 1-800-318-2596 FREE for help with enrolling. CuidadoDeSalud.gov includes a live Spanish webchat function and a "Find Local Help" section that connects people with trained specialists in their communities who can answer questions. The specialists are available at many local health centers and libraries to assist with the application process.

"The League of United Latin American Citizens is delighted about the opportunity the Affordable Care Act provides to millions of Latinos. We are particularly excited that the Spanish-language component of the Administration’s enrollment outreach is starting earlier than previous public programs. No community stands to gain more from the Affordable Care Act than Latinos, which is why we waged a campaign during the legislative process to ensure a bill was produced and signed into law that would give Latinos access to affordable health care," said Brent Wilkes, NHLA Vice Chair and National Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

"The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) – the leading national organization working to improve the lives of Hispanic older adults, their families and caregivers – is excited to work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on education and enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace. NHCOA’s Navigator program provides assistance to those having difficulty accessing information in the new Marketplace as they shop for, and enroll, in the Health Insurance Marketplace, which opened October 1. The Exchange Navigator program is especially beneficial to Hispanics, as more than one in four live in poverty, and nearly one in three lack health insurance. They are a highly vulnerable population, suffering from disproportionate levels of chronic disease. In addition, many Hispanics have low levels of health literacy, making the health care system difficult for them to navigate. NHCOA is enthusiastic and committed to conduct outreach and education in the Hispanic community," said Dr. Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA).

"Because farmworkers and rural Latinos are a hardly reached population when it comes to connecting to health care, Farmworker Justice is working with farmworker community-based organizations, rural community health centers, and other service providers to create and distribute educational materials on the Affordable Care Act. Farmworkers and their families have many questions about how the ACA impacts them. By reaching out to farmworker communities, Farmworker Justice is working to ensure all eligible farmworkers understand their options and opportunities to secure health insurance," said Bruce Goldstein, President of Farmworker Justice.

"Twenty-five percent of the eligible uninsured population is Hispanic, the highest of any minority group. The statistics show the importance of reaching out to the Hispanic uninsured community as open enrollment continues. Since launching our Get Covered America campaign, we have been actively engaged on the ground speaking with Hispanic families and individuals addressing their questions and concerns about affordability, understanding the intricacies with coverage, and what kind of enrollment help will be available to them," said Jose L. Plaza, National Director of Latino Engagement for Enroll America.

"The six-month enrollment period represents a unique opportunity for the 15 million uninsured Latinos in the U.S., as many will be able to purchase health insurance for the first time in their lives. Latinos have the highest uninsured rate of any group in the country, which means we have the most to gain. It is important for all Latinos – healthy or sick, young or old – to enroll in a health insurance plan. As more healthy, young people sign up, the overall cost of healthcare for everyone goes down and the health of our community improves. The Affordable Care Act will only work if we, as a Latino community, take advantage of this law and enroll in coverage for ourselves and for our families," said Maria Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino.

Ann Marie Benitez, Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs of National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, said, “The Affordable Care Act will expand access to important reproductive health care services for millions of Latinas like mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, contraception and other vital services by expanding our coverage options. National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health believes that health care is a basic human right and the ACA will be the first step in making this a reality for many.”

Established in 1991, The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and follow @NHLAgenda. For more on NHLA’s Latinos United for Healthcare campaign, please visit http://www.latinosunited.org/healthcare.

Enroll America is the nation's leading health care enrollment coalition, bringing together community and health organizations, businesses and others across the nation to inform consumers about the new health coverage options and how to enroll in them. We are an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

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