The Affordable Care Act and Latinos

On April 10, 2012, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation issued a research brief regarding the Affordable Care Act and Latinos. The brief provides new estimates that suggest 5.4 million Latinos who would otherwise be uninsured will gain coverage by 2016. The following provides an overview of the coverage and benefits available to Latinos in 2012 and those beginning in 2014 as detailed in the brief.

Applicable Now

• An estimated 6.1 million Latino Americans with private insurance now have access to expanded preventive services with no cost-sharing. These services include well-child visits, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, Pap smears and mammograms for women, and flu shots for children and adults.
• 3.9 million elderly and disabled Latinos who receive health coverage from Medicare have access to an expanded list of preventive services with no cost-sharing, including annual wellness visits with personalized prevention plans, colorectal cancer and obesity screening, and mammograms.
• 736,000 Latino young adults between ages 19 and 25 who would have been uninsured now have coverage under their parent’s employer-sponsored or individually purchased health plan.
• Major federal investments to improve quality of care are improving management of chronic diseases that are more prevalent among Latinos.

Applicable in 2014 and Thereafter

• An estimated 5.4 million Latinos who would otherwise be uninsured will gain coverage by 2016.
• Medicaid coverage expands to include Americans with family incomes at or below 133% of the federal poverty guidelines (currently $30,657 for a family of four) in 2014. This expansion includes adults without dependent children living at home, who have not previously been eligible in most states.
• Individuals with higher incomes (up to 400% of the federal poverty guidelines, $92,200 for a family of four) will be eligible to purchase subsidized coverage from the new Affordable Insurance Exchanges.
• The health care workforce will be more diverse due to a near tripling of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Latino physicians make up about 21% of the Corps, a percentage that greatly exceeds their 5% share of the national physician workforce.
• Investments in data collection and research will help us better understand the causes of health care disparities and develop effective programs to eliminate them.
• Targeted interventions, such as Community Transformation Grants, will promote healthy lifestyles, lower health care costs, and reduce health disparities.
• Increased funding available to the more than 1,100 community health centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will increase the number of patients served.

Posted on: April 10, 2012