ACA, Obama fall from grace with Hispanics
Support of the Affordable Care Act among Hispanics, a group crucial to its success, is waning, Florida Watchdog reported.
Hispanic support for the healthcare reform is dwindling in part because of the unfinished Spanish language insurance exchange website, cuidadodesalud.gov. Listing available plans in English only could prevent Spanish-speaking customers from selecting an exchange plan, according to Florida Watchdog.
Some Hispanics still lack general information about the reform law and how to sign up for coverage. "Hispanic people ask questions, and we all are a little confused," Chanel Valcarcel, a pharmacist at a Narvarro Discount Pharmacy location in Miami-Dade County, told the publication.
So it's no surprise Obama's approval rating among Hispanics dropped from 75 percent in December 2012 to 52 percent this November, according to a Dec. 5 Gallup poll. The 23-point drop was the largest among all major subgroups and nearly twice the national average.
Moreover, Hispanic groups lack money and resources for ACA enrollment. Hispanic health clinics and community organizations don't have enough bilingual, bicultural staff or the necessary funds for outreach efforts to handle the enrollment process for the 10 million Latinos who will be eligible for new healthcare reform coverage, FierceHealthcare previously reported.
To get Hispanics back on board with healthcare reform, as they represent 32 percent of the non-elderly uninsured population, the Obama administration will launch barrage of Hispanic-focused ads in January, Florida Watchdog noted.
Meanwhile, the University of Southern California's Norman Lear Center's Hollywood Health & Society program will use a $500,000 California Endowment grant to enable television writers and producers to incorporate ACA information into their scripts, targeting young, healthy Hispanics and other key demographics, FierceHealthcare previously reported.
To learn more:
- read the Watchdog article
- check out the Gallup poll
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