Los Angeles County Receives ‘C’ Rating for Latino Health Care
Latinos have the lowest rates of health insurance, the highest rates of poverty and the lowest per capita incomes in Los Angeles County, according to the annual Latino Scorecard released Wednesday by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
The scorecard, authored by researchers at five universities, gave the county a C for Latino health care, and other quality-of-life services showed "little improvement" since the first scorecard was issued three years ago, according to the Daily News.
Researchers found that Latinos in Los Angeles County:
- Are the least likely group to have health insurance, with 34% of the population uninsured;
- Have the highest rate of unhealthy behavior, such as physical inactivity, tobacco use and obesity; and
- Are underrepresented in local medical schools. Fourteen percent of first-year medical students are Latinos, which contributes to a shortage of Spanish-speaking doctors in the county.
The report issued several recommendations, including enrolling all Latino children in health insurance programs (Anderson, Los Angeles Daily News, 1/26).
The scorecard is available online. This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.