With one in three Latinos uninsured, far higher
rates than black or whites, this group has the most to gain from Obamacare. But
they're shying away from signing up for health insurance on the exchanges for a
number of reasons from lack of familiarity with insurance to fear of
deportation.
Only the California exchange asks applicants for
their race and ethnicity, though the question is optional. In other states,
advocates say it's been tougher than expected to get these groups to apply. Only
19% of Latinos and 20% of blacks have looked for health insurance on the
exchanges, compared to 28% of whites, according to a Commonwealth Fund survey.
In California, fewer than 20% of applicants
identified themselves as of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin, according to
the exchange. That compares to the estimate that about 46% of subsidy-eligible
Californians are Latino. Enrollment in California is being watched closely
since it's considered a model for the rest of the country.
Immigration
Status
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health now gets
4,000 calls a month to its help line, up from 300 queries pre-Obamacare, said
Jane Delgado, the research and advocacy group's chief executive. One of the
main questions people have concerned so-called mixed-status families, when at
least one person is not in the U.S. legally. The federal government has said
that information collected through the exchanges will not be shared with
immigration services, but that doesn't assuage everyone's fears.
Lack of Awareness
Latinos are even less familiar with the exchanges
than other groups. Only 49% were aware of their state exchange, compared to 68%
of whites and 69% of blacks, according to the Commonwealth Fund survey.
Though the exchanges have funded a network of enrollment
counselors, advocates have complained that it's still not enough, particularly
in places where the state government opposes Obamacare, such as Texas and
Florida. There's been a shortage of bilingual counselors in many places.
Website Issues
A Spanish-language version of the website has been
cited as a reason for lower enrollment. 63% of Latinos surveyed by Latino
Decisions, a political opinion research group, said they wanted Obamacare
information in Spanish. But the federal exchange didn't launch its Spanish
language site, CuidadoDeSalud.gov,
until December, and it quickly came under attack for being riddled with
translation errors. Applicants still can't browse their plan options in
Spanish.
Affordability
Since many have never had insurance, applicants are
also skeptical that they can afford coverage or that it's worth the money,
advocates say. Key to turning this view around will be for enrollees to spread
the benefits of insurance by word of mouth.
With six weeks left to go in the open enrollment
period for 2014, exchange officials and advocates are ramping up outreach to
minority communities. They are holding enrollment events, distributing
marketing materials and advertising via video and social media.
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