Opinion: Reform Law Raises Questions on Cultural Issues

"The gap between the size of the Latino population and the number of health professionals able to communicate competently is widening," Chad Silva -- statewide policy analyst for the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, vice chair for the Health Workforce Development Council and a member of the California Health Workforce Alliance's steering committee -- writes in a Capitol Weekly opinion piece. Silva adds that "Latinos make up 59% of the state's uninsured population, and many will qualify for an expanded Medi-Cal and subsidized insurance" through the federal health reform law. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program. However, "[i]f our health professionals cannot communicate with and understand the cultural context of their patients, the promise of reform … will go unrealized," Silva concludes.

• "Latinos Win Big in Health Care Reform, but Swelling Numbers Cloud Victory" (Silva, Capitol Weekly, 5/5).