Health insurance coverage is a fundamental first step in promoting the health of our children. For years, health insurance coverage rates for Latino children have lagged far behind their peers, but a new report shows that more and more Latino children are gaining health insurance due to the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)—the bedrock programs and policies providing access to high quality health care for our nation’s children. Unfortunately, Congress and President-elect Trump have promised major rollbacks to these programs that would jeopardize this progress.
The report, authored by the Georgetown Center for Children and Families (Georgetown CCF) and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), shows that the rate of uninsured Latino children in North Carolina dropped from 12 percent to 9.3 percent from 2013 to 2015, a time period that coincides with the implementation of major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Despite this progress, the rate of uninsured Latino children in North Carolina is higher than the national average and higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the state other than American Indians.
While North Carolina lags behind other states when it comes to enrolling Latino children, the most recent numbers represent continued progress in providing access to care and reducing troubling racial disparities. What’s more encouraging is that the vast majority of uninsured Latino children are currently eligible for coverage under Medicaid or SCHIP, but not enrolled. This means that still more progress is possible with enhanced outreach and enrollment efforts.
But this additional progress is only possible if Medicaid and SCHIP remain accessible...click here to continue reading.
By Rob Thompson
Alianza Latina Pro-Educación en Salud
email: alpesnc@gmail.com
website: www.alpesnc.org
Follow us on: Facebook - Twitter - Google+ - LinkedIn
The report, authored by the Georgetown Center for Children and Families (Georgetown CCF) and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), shows that the rate of uninsured Latino children in North Carolina dropped from 12 percent to 9.3 percent from 2013 to 2015, a time period that coincides with the implementation of major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Despite this progress, the rate of uninsured Latino children in North Carolina is higher than the national average and higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the state other than American Indians.
While North Carolina lags behind other states when it comes to enrolling Latino children, the most recent numbers represent continued progress in providing access to care and reducing troubling racial disparities. What’s more encouraging is that the vast majority of uninsured Latino children are currently eligible for coverage under Medicaid or SCHIP, but not enrolled. This means that still more progress is possible with enhanced outreach and enrollment efforts.
But this additional progress is only possible if Medicaid and SCHIP remain accessible...click here to continue reading.
By Rob Thompson
Alianza Latina Pro-Educación en Salud
email: alpesnc@gmail.com
website: www.alpesnc.org
Follow us on: Facebook - Twitter - Google+ - LinkedIn
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