Barriers to health have long existed for Latinos due to numerous factors, including economic concerns, and a lack of access. Often times, Latinos have not been able to get the treatments that they need for many serious medical conditions, especially mental or behavioral issues. A new policy from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) looks to help ease this burden. CMS has adopted a new policy on “Collaborative Care,” adding behavioral health care management and consultations with a mental health specialist to primary care. It will now be easier for all patients to get all of the treatment that they need. Collaborative Care, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, has been found to improve quality of care, patient satisfaction, and both physical and ...
Being a first-time parent can often be a stressful experience. The uncertainty about what is or is not a medical concern often causes parents stress and greatly impacts their finances. A new study has found that a home visit program for new parents helped reduce their use of medical services for their infants, and this in turn helped out parents in other ways. The study, based in New Mexico (47.03% Latino population), included 244 first-time parents who were randomly assigned to either a control group that didn’t get any additional help or a group enrolled in a program where healthcare workers and parent educators made home visits during the first year of their child’s life. Typically, an infant is expected to have seven well-child visits during the first year, according to ...
More mothers are joining the workforce than ever before, especially Latinas. In 2015, 42% of all U.S. moms were the “breadwinner” (earning at least half of their family’s income) for their households, and 22% were co-breadwinners, according to a report by the Center for American Progress. The report found that, regardless of the family composition, the vast majority of adults with “custodial children” are part of the labor force. "With the majority of women working for pay, and their earnings being so vital to the economic well-being of their families, the days of full-time, stay-at-home mothers are long past," according to the report. "Women are crucial economic actors for their families, local communities, and the overall U.S. economy." The rates of breadwinning ...
The latest phase of Open Enrollment for the Healthcare Marketplace will wrap up on Jan. 31, 2017. As of last December, over 4 million people had selected plans using HealthCare.gov since Open Enrollment began November 1. This includes over 1.1 million new consumers and 2.9 million renewing their coverage. 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. Latinos have been one of the groups who have benefited the most from the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Over 4 million have obtained health care coverage and have reduced their rate of uninsured individuals to historic lows. “Millions of Americans have ...
Hawai'i is a place known for its beauty, but now it may be known for more than beauty as it strives for health and wellness with Kaiser Permanente Hawai'i who has awarded nearly $800,000 dollars towards supporting nonprofits that focus on behavioral health support, preventive screenings, and healthy eating. The commitment behind Kaiser's support is to reduce health disparities in Hawaii, where the Latino population (10.4%) saw a 165% growth since 1990 and continues to grow consistently, according to Hawaii News Now. Taking a stand to help all those in Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente is working in low-income communities to help improve access to healthy lunches in schools, vision and oral screenings, education, mental health and more. Over eight non-profits have received the funds and ...
The deadline to obtain health coverage by January 1 has been extended through December 19. Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace is currently underway. On Friday, Dec. 16, President Barack Obama announced that more than 670,000 people signed up before the Dec. 15 deadline; due to this overwhelming response, the deadline has been extended. “Millions of Americans have already signed up for coverage and tens of thousands more are in the process of getting coverage today,” said Health Insurance Marketplace CEO Kevin Counihan. “As we did last year, because of extraordinary volume of consumers contacting our call center or visiting HealthCare.gov, we are extending the deadline to sign-up for January 1 coverage until 11:59pm PST December 19.” In order to ...
The current phase of Open Enrollment is underway, and Dec. 15 is an important deadline to keep in mind. For those who sign up by midnight, they will be able to begin 2017 fully covered with health insurance. As of December 10, over 4 million people had selected plans using HealthCare.gov since Open Enrollment began November 1, including over 1.1 million new consumers and 2.9 million renewing their coverage. “Momentum is building,” said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell in a statement. “As we approach the December 15 deadline for consumers to get coverage that begins January 1st, we’re seeing hundreds of thousands of consumers each day signing up for coverage they want and need.” In order to reduce health disparities, it is ...
The current phase of Open Enrollment is underway for those looking to obtain healthcare coverage, and so far, over 1.6 million people have taken advantage of the options at the Healthcare Marketplace. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more than 4 million Latino adults who were previously uninsured now have health coverage. The ACA has also reduced the number of uninsured Latinos by more than 25%, from 41.8% to 30.5%. In 2014, an estimated 8 in 10 uninsured Latinos qualify for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), or lower costs on monthly premiums through the Health Insurance Marketplace. “With plans available for less than $75 per month in premiums, 2.1 million Americans have already selected coverage through HealthCare.gov, more than had signed up at ...
What does having health care coverage mean to you? The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) wants to know! Since its passing, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has helped over 20 million people attain health care coverage. Over four million Latinos are among those that have gained insurance, lowering the overall rate of uninsured Latinos by nearly 8%. Since the beginning of Open Enrollment, HHS has been asking for people on social media to share their stories on social media how the ACA has benefited them and their loved ones by using the hashtag #CoverageMatters. 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. People can read what everyone ...
