Increasing Health Coverage Within Latino Communities: What's the problem and what can you do about it?

Publication Date: December 2002

Publisher: Families USA

Author(s):

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Abstract:

Latino communities across the U.S. face inequalities in health coverage, provider access, and overall health status. Uninsured adults are less likely to receive preventive care, screening services, and appropriate acute or chronic disease management, and they are more likely to have poorer overall health compared to insured individuals. Lack of health insurance often forces people to put off getting needed medical care because they cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs of health services. These problems disproportionately affect Hispanic or Latino Americans, who make up about 13 percent of the population but who represent more than 30 percent of the uninsured.