NATIONAL LATINO LEADERS DENOUNCE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT AND ITS POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON THE LATINO COMMUNITY

Coalition Vows to Mobilize to Oppose this Shortsighted Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of the nation's 40 preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, sent a letter to Congress urging members to vote against the passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA). NHLA denounced the AHCA because of the impact it would have on the Latino community if enacted into law. The AHCA was proposed by House Republicans to repeal and replace significant portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 14 million people would lose health insurance by next year under the House Republicans’ AHCA. By 2026, that number would grow to 24 million.

The facts show that the ACA has provided expanded access to health coverage for more than 20 million Americans, including 4.2 million Latino adults. Improved access to coverage has brought the Latino uninsured rate down to historic lows. An estimated 676,000 Latino children gained coverage as a result of health coverage expansions, including the ACA, and the Latino child uninsured rate saw the largest two-year decline on record (11.5 percent to 7.5 percent). Between 2010 and 2015, the overall Latino uninsured rate declined by almost one-half, from 30.7 percent to 16.2 percent, the lowest rate ever recorded. The AHCA threatens that progress and ensures that millions of Latinos will lose affordable health care coverage.

Additionally, Medicaid, which is now the largest health insurance program in the nation, serving 74 million people, including 18 million Latinos, would face devastating changes starting in 2020. Due to a shift in funding to the states and the freezing of the Medicaid expansion provisions in the ACA, estimates are that four to six million fewer people will be enrolled in Medicaid as a result of these changes.

“Dismantling the Affordable Care Act would be devastating to the Latino community. Millions of Latinos nationwide rely on the ACA daily, not only for good quality of life but also for survival. Instead of recognizing the disastrous effect this would have on women, children, and families, House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Trump’s American Health Care Act would not only reverse the progress made by the ACA, but they would give billions of dollars in tax cuts for wealthy Americans and big corporations while making healthcare less affordable for most Latinos,” said Hector Sanchez, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “From attacks on women’s health to Medicaid cuts to fewer services for the poor, elderly, and the disabled, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda stands united in opposing the Ryan-Trump health care repeal bill, and it’s why we are calling on Members of Congress to reject it.”

Jessica González-Rojas, Co-Chair of the Latina Task Force and the Health Committee and Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) said, “The Republican-led ACA replacement plan, the American Health Care Act, is no plan at all. It is a shortsighted and shameful attempt of which 24 million individuals will lose coverage by 2026. This bill denies people with Medicaid coverage access to Planned Parenthood health centers thus, blocking patients from accessing vital reproductive care, like breast cancer screenings and contraceptives. It is a clear threat to health equity, and the well-being of Latinxs, our families, and our communities. NLIRH remains committed to defending the ACA and other critical health programs that ensure the right to quality, affordable healthcare for communities with low-incomes, Latinxs and other people of color. We will continue to stand strong as we advocate and bring voice to the need to expand health coverage, not deny it.”

“The AHCA takes away access to health, dental, and behavioral health care because of elimination of insurance mandate, essential benefits, rise of premiums for elderly, and the cutback of Medicaid which will lead to higher costs of ER use, charity care covered by tax payers and ultimately, premature death and decrease in the Latino workforce for the nation,” said Dr. Elena Rios, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Health Committee and President and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA)

“The House Republican health plan would end the Medicaid program as we know it. Latinos account for 1 in 3 nonelderly Medicaid enrollees nationwide and these cuts would impose acute harm to our children and families. Their health and well-being are in jeopardy and we will continue to fight to protect and defend the coverage gains that were achieved under ACA and that help make our communities and families stronger, " said Janet Murguía, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Economic Empowerment and Labor Committee and NCLR President and CEO.

"With the American Health Care Act (AHCA), insurance companies would have the ability to increase rates for older adults to be up to five times more than the prices of health care plans for younger individuals, making these plans some of the most expensive on the market. We need the media to shed light on the realities that minority communities will face if the AHCA is implemented. Healthcare should not be a business; it is our fundamental right as human beings," stated Dr. Yanira Cruz, NHLA At-Large Executive Committee Member and President and CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA)

"While the Affordable Care Act was successful in helping 6 million Latinos gain coverage, a quarter of the Latino community is still uninsured. Any repeal effort resulting in a loss of coverage for millions of Americans would be disastrous for the Latino community," said Brent Wilkes, NHLA Treasurer and National Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). "The AHCA does nothing to solve the complex issues plaguing our healthcare system. On the contrary, according to the CBO report, 24 million would lose coverage over time, there would be a 15-20 percent spike in premiums, financial assistance for low-income families would decrease - and to top it off, it gives generous tax cuts to the wealthy at the expense of hardworking Latino families. Instead of talking about access, congressional Republicans and the Trump administration should discuss universal coverage that ensures quality, affordable care for all Americans."

"Voto Latino proudly worked closely with the last Administration to help inform and enroll American Latinos in the Affordable Care Act because we understand that in order to lead productive and contributing lives, our fellow Americans need to be healthy first. While more than 4.2 million Latinos were covered by the ACA, Latinos have remained the demographic with the highest uninsured rate. Under the American Health Care Act (ACHA), we stand to leave millions more without coverage. It would directly affect the more than 9 million American Latinas of reproductive age who may no longer have access to screenings for cervical cancer, birth control and mammograms offered at Planned Parenthood. And the ACHA fails to provide preventative care to the young, instead making it more expensive for them to get insured. To be clear: there is nothing American, healthy or caring about the AHCA - it leaves the most vulnerable amongst us out in the cold and rescinds coverage to millions trying to do right for themselves and their family,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, NHLA Board member and President and CEO of Voto Latino.

“Many farmworkers who recently acquired health insurance under the ACA will lose their access to affordable coverage under the American Health Care Act. Age-based tax credits will be insufficient to cover enough of the high costs of insurance premiums in rural areas, making health insurance unaffordable for low-income farmworker families,” said Bruce Goldstein, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Economic Empowerment and Labor Committee and President of Farmworker Justice.

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino 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.

NHLA MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

Alianza Americas | American GI Forum | ASPIRA Association, Inc. | Avance | Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network | Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute | Farmworker Justice | Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities | Hispanic Federation | Hispanic National Bar Association | Inter-University Program for Latino Research | Labor Council for Latin American Advancement | Latino Justice PRLDEF | League of United Latin American Citizens | MANA, A National Latina Organization | Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund | NALEO Educational Fund | National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives | National Association of Hispanic Publications | National Association of Latino Independent Producers | National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. | National Council of La Raza | National Hispana Leadership Institute | National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators | National Hispanic Council on Aging | National Hispanic Environmental Council | National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts | National Hispanic Media Coalition | National Hispanic Medical Association | National Institute for Latino Policy | National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health | National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc. | Presente.org | SER – Jobs for Progress National, Inc. | Southwest Voter Registration Education Project | United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | United States Hispanic Leadership Institute | United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce | U.S.-Mexico Foundation | Voto Latino