By Kenia Morales – Communications and Social Media Manager Adelante con la Salud: Latino Health Care Engagement Project.
Adelante con la Salud: Latino Healthcare Engagement Project educates and outreaches to Latinas/os and providers about the new healthcare law and its impact on our state. In late April, we conducted a poll in partnership with Latino Decisions that confirmed the need for targeted outreach to Latinos regarding the new healthcare law. Our poll illustrated that 69% of respondents felt the new law is “confusing and complicated,” and that an overwhelming 89% of Latinos wanted to learn more. After hearing basic information, 75% of those surveyed believed that the ACA would have positive outcomes for Latino community in the long run, compared to 16% who responded that it would be bad. Of those surveyed, cost ranked as one of the biggest questions about Obamacare. 39% of families earning less than $40,000 per year responded that they went without health insurance, for even one month in the last 12 months. Our survey is very much in line with national statistics about health care coverage in the Latino community. In 2011, nearly one in three people who lacked health insurance in the US were Latinos.
Now is the critical time to outreach and educate Latinos in Colorado about the benefits of the ACA. Beginning this summer, we will be stepping up our outreach efforts by hosting community forums across our state and unveiling a targeted media campaign that will include radio ads, TV ads and a strong online presence. The new health insurance marketplace and expanded benefits will result in as many as 9 million Latinos becoming eligible to get health coverage.