Eric Moreno is a Content Curator with the Salud America! program at UT Health San Antonio. He specializes in covering the topics of health equity and family and social support. He holds a BA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an MA from Gonzaga University.
On the eve of the deadline for Open Enrollment, many people who have not registered for coverage have not done so because they still have questions. Groups such as Enroll America have made it a priority in the waning days leading up to the deadline on January 31, 2017, to dispel as many of the myths and answer questions surrounding health coverage. Myth: It isn’t worth it to sign up for coverage. People still need to have coverage for 2017 or they could face steep fines when it is time to file for their income taxes. When Open Enrollment began last November, 100,000 people signed up for coverage on the first day. Any new laws concerning healthcare will more than likely not be implemented in 2017. Myth: I can’t afford the coverage A large number of people who obtain ...
In San Antonio, TX (63.34% Latino population), a coalition of healthcare professionals has banded together to get the word out about the final days of Open Enrollment. EnrollSA has created a series of enrollment events throughout the Bexar County area leading up to the last day to enroll in healthcare coverage for this year, January 31, 2017. Events will be held throughout the city, beginning on Saturday, January 28 leading up till the final day. The events will be bilingual and volunteers on site can help people navigate the enrollment process. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved. For those looking to simply renew their coverage, they ...
Cancer deaths in the United States have dropped 20% from 1980 to 2014! This is great news, but there are still several “hot spots” where cancer deaths persist despite efforts being made nationally, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study examined 20 million cancer deaths by county location over 24 years. Liver cancer increased by almost 88% nationwide over that span, and clustered along Texas' border with Mexico in largely Latino populations, according to a news report on the research by CNN. Lung cancer deaths “bunched” across the states of Kentucky and Florida, and breast cancer deaths clustered along the Mississippi River and Southern belt. "At the county level, you see huge disparities," Ali Mokdad, the lead author ...
Few groups have benefited more from the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) than Latinos. Since the law went into effect, over 910,000 Latino adults – between the ages of 19 and 26 – who would have previously been without coverage were now eligible to remain on their parents’ plans. Over 4.2 million gained health insurance in that time as well, lowering the rate of Latino uninsured by 7.7%. With the deadline for the latest phase of Open Enrollment coming to a close on January 31, 2017, many are still without coverage. This is partly due to the fact that many do not know what is covered through plans available in the Health Care Marketplace. What Marketplace Plans Cover All plans that are available through the Marketplace cover the same set of “essential health ...
Health inequities in the United States are a rampant problem, especially for minorities such as Latinos. The U.S. has higher rates of infant mortality and shorter life expectancies than other wealthy nations. There are deep racial, ethnic, and socio-economic disparities that persist at the county and state levels throughout the country that impact millions of low-income and minority families. A new report looks to have gotten to the “root causes” of these inequities. According to research from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, factors ranging from poverty to inadequate housing to “structural racism,” and discrimination all contribute to the health inequities that burden many citizens with poor overall health and well-being. “When our ...
Almost half of all the adults in the United States have at least one chronic medical condition. These conditions include many which disproportionately plague Latinos, such as diabetes and lung disease. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health coverage for chronically ill patients has increased by nearly 5%. While this has shown to be a significant gain, more work needs to be done. A study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine studied adults between the ages of 18 and 64, the largest pool taking part in the Health Insurance Marketplace. “We wanted to see how many people were uninsured and clearly needed health insurance,” said Dr. Hugo Torres, of the Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, MA in an interview with USA Today. “We know the prevalence of ...
Three years ago, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect. Since that time, the uninsured rate in the United States has been significantly reduced to historic lows. From 2013-2016, the rate of uninsured Americans overall has been virtually cut in half and people in all demographics and regions of the country have seen significant gains. Latinos, in particular, have greatly benefited from the new insurance laws. An issue brief released by Enroll America has shown how much Latinos – and all Americans – have benefited from the ACA. According to the brief, uninsured rates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have declined since 2013; about 90% of all counties in the U.S. saw their rate drop by a 25% or more. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to ...
Nearly 12 million people who utilize Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts of over $26 billion on prescription drugs since 2010. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new information showing that millions of senior citizens and people with disabilities continue to benefit on the improvements to Medicare as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to information from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, over 4 million Latinos in the U.S. receive benefits from Medicare and their median income was $12,800 annually. In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved. In 2016, over 4.9 ...
In the past 15 years, Latino students have made strides in closing the achievement gap between them and their white peers. However, Latino English language learners (ELL) are falling further behind in mathematics and reading achievement. The gaps are also shown to be persistent between higher- and lower-income students. According to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute, minority children – especially Latinos – are more likely to be poor and more likely to live in low-income, racially segregated neighborhoods compared to white students. The schools were also found to contain “concentrations of low-income, nonwhite students.” In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect ...
