74% More Latinos Get Coverage Under Obamacare in California

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A recent survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation has revealed that more than two-thirds of previously uninsured Californians, are now covered by the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.

According to NPR, around six million adults in California were uninsured before the healthcare law was enacted, with the Latino community contributing to more than half of that statistic.

The latest survey revealed that the number of newly insured Latinos have risen by 74 percent, with only a slight difference from the number of whites that recently received coverage at 79 percent.

It must be noted that the percentage of newly insured Latinos does not include those who are illegal immigrants, since they are not eligible for ACA benefits.

The increase in coverage could help Latinos gain access to medication and treatment previously difficult to attain, like the anti-HIV pill, Truvada. According to Latinos Health, Truvada or PrEP has not gained popularity among gay or bisexual Latino men, partly due to the high price and lack of coverage.

Now that more Latinos have gained access to health insurance, gay or bisexual Latino men may have access to Truvada.

NPR explains that initial campaigns to get Latinos to apply for coverage were unsuccessful. Bessie Ramirez from Santiago Solutions Group, a Hispanic market research firm, explains that the marketing for health care plans in the Latino Community before did not focus on their needs.

"Frankly, it seems obvious that the launch of this program seemed to have actually turned a blind eye to what the needs of this particular consumer were," she said on KOED News.

However, recent marketing campaigns geared towards the Latino community have been well-recieved, resulting in the increased number of previously uninsured Latinos getting coverage.

There is only a mere five percent difference between the enrollments of Latinos and whites. Even so, Advocate de Guia expressed some concern in the number of newly insured Latinos, stating that the number of Latinos getting coverage could drop in the future.

Apparently, grants given to community groups in order to help people get coverage have decreased recently by millions of dollars, which could affect uninsured Latinos seeking coverage in the future.

Even though more Californians have gained coverage this year, there are still some challenges in healthcare that must be solved. While most of the respondents of the survey claimed their healthcare needs were being met, some complained of having difficulty in getting an appointment.

In addition, 16 percent of respondents also revealed that they were turned away by certain doctors, who would not accept them due to their insurance, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel.