U.S., California Latinos Expected To Benefit Under Health Reform
The 48 million Latino residents of the U.S. have a great deal to gain from provisions of the federal health reform law, Politico reports.
Expected Coverage Gains
Latinos likely will account for about 28% of the 32 million uninsured U.S. residents expected to gain health insurance coverage under the reform law, according to the White House. Latinos make up about 16% of the U.S. population.
In California, Latinos make up about 36% of the state population, but could account for 55% of the uninsured residents who are projected to gain coverage under the reform law, according to estimates by the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Latinos account for about 59% of California's nonelderly uninsured residents.
Views on Reform
According to a Latino Decisions Poll conducted in March 2010, Latinos placed health care reform at the top of the list when asked about the most important issues facing the country. The poll found that 86% of the 500 Latinos surveyed said they supported federal health reform legislation.
However, some advocates say that Latinos might have reservations about the reform law because the legislation excludes undocumented residents from obtaining benefits.
The California HealthCare Foundation's Center for Health Reporting contributed to the Politico article. CHCF publishes California Healthline (Gonzales, Politico, 1/25).
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