Survey: Uninsured Rates Fall Sharply for Young and Low-Income Latinos
<p style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;">A new <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2014/sep/catching-latino-health-coverage-gains-and-challenges-under">Commonwealth Fund survey</a> shows that the Affordable Care Act is having a significant impact for many Latinos, a group that for decades has had among the highest uninsured rates in the United States. You can learn about the results in a new brief and infographic (available in both English and Spanish).</span></p><p style="line-height: 110%;">The survey, which examined changes in health insurance coverage and consumer experiences between the start and end of the ACA’s first open enrollment period, finds that the percentage of uninsured young Latinos, ages 19 to 34, fell from 43 percent in the period July–September 2013 to 23 percent in April–June 2014. Meanwhile, the uninsured rate for low-income Latinos dropped from 46 percent to 28 percent. Low income was defined as below $32,500 for a family of four.</p>
<p style="line-height: 110%;">Latinos in states that had expanded eligibility for Medicaid and begun enrolling people by April 2014 have seen large gains in coverage, with the uninsured rate falling from 35 percent to 17 percent. In states that had not expanded Medicaid, the Latino uninsured rate remained statistically unchanged, at 33 percent. Twenty million Latinos live in non-expansion states, the majority in Texas and Florida. </p>
<p style="line-height: 110%;">In a Viewpoint to be published later today in the <em>Journal of the American Medical Association, </em>study coauthors Michelle Doty and Sara Collins and Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D., discuss the new findings.</p>
<p>Please tweet about this survey with #acatracking. Next month, The Commonwealth Fund will host a tweet chat on Latinos and the Affordable Care Act. Stay tuned for details.</p>