In addition to its own editorials, USA TODAY publishes diverse opinions from outside writers, including our Board of Contributors. Raul Reyes is an attorney in New York and a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors. The Obama administration has taken a first step toward providing better health outcomes, longer lives and greater peace of mind for Latinos. The enrollment numbers represent a historic breakthrough for the Hispanic community. If even a Tea Party lawmaker realizes that Obamacare offers a better deal than private insurance, it's time to acknowledge that the new law is a winner. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., signed himself and his family up for Obamacare last year, taking advantage of a generous subsidy available to federal lawmakers and their staff members. In fact, one of the most vocal opponents of the law, Sen. Yet as more Latinos access health care, they will spread the word about the benefits of the law. The split is not surprising, given the GOP attacks on Obamacare. A March report by the Pew Research Center found that 47% of Hispanics view the law favorably while an equal number view it unfavorably. Sure, like other Americans, Hispanics are divided about the new law. Or that these were both states with Republican governors who did not promote the new law, or set up state exchanges. Consider that roughly one-third of sign-ups in Texas were Latinos, as were nearly 20% of enrollees in Florida. In addition, many Latinos with undocumented family members had reservations about sharing personal information with the federal government, for fear it could be used against their relatives.ĭespite these hurdles, hundreds of thousands of Hispanics enrolled in Obamacare. Its initial rollout was delayed by a couple of months, and then it was dogged by criticism that it was written in " Spanglish." The government has a Spanish-language version of its health insurance website, yet like its English-language counterpart it was plagued by problems. Imagine how difficult that is for people who have never had insurance, or for whom English is a second language. The average American has difficulty making sense of co-pays, deductibles and other insurance terminology. According to the Census Bureau, 29% of Hispanics were uninsured in 2012, making them the largest uninsured demographic. The Obama administration faced unique challenges in reaching out to Latinos. So even with incomplete data, it is safe to say that more Latinos are accessing health care than ever. Nor do the federal figures include Latinos who qualified for the expansion of Medicaid. The federal figures also do not count people who signed up for coverage through state exchanges, including those in New York and California, which have significant Hispanic populations. But the true number could be higher because a third of those who enrolled did not report their race/ethnicity. While 14.5% of people eligible to enroll in the federal marketplace were Latino, the Obama administration reached 10.7% of enrollees who identified as Hispanic. Given the structural obstacles to Hispanic sign-ups, problems with the rollout and relentless Republican opposition to the health law, Latino enrollment deserves to be seen in a positive light.
#Obamacare success story full
Although the Obama administration did not achieve its goal for Latinos enrollments, the full story is more complex. And the National Journal weighed in with " Why Hispanics didn't get Obamacare." " Obamacare's Hispanic enrollment is low," said The Washington Post. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services released statistics on the racial and ethnic breakdown of Affordable Care Act sign-ups, generating a slew of negative headlines.
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