Although the uninsured rate for Hispanic/Latino adults has fallen dramatically under the Affordable Care Act, 55 percent are inadequately insured.
For Many Latinos in the U.S., Having Coverage Doesn’t Guarantee Affordable Health Care
December 17, 2024
The uninsured rate for Hispanic/Latino adults in the U.S. has fallen from 33 percent to 18 percent since the Affordable Care Act became law, with 9 million more gaining health insurance coverage.
Still, 55 percent of Hispanic/Latino adults are inadequately insured, notes Commonwealth Fund President Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., in his new post for To the Point. This means they either don’t have health coverage or the coverage they do have comes with out-of-pocket costs so high that they can’t always afford needed care. More than half of Hispanic/Latino adults surveyed said they sometimes skipped doctor-recommended care or didn’t fill prescriptions. Being underinsured also puts them at risk of accumulating medical debt, Betancourt writes.
He says policy changes — like extending ACA marketplace premium tax credits and lowering plan deductibles and out-of-pocket costs — could ensure that all Americans can afford the care they need.
