by 
Share On Social!
Latinos represent the largest uninsured population in the group in the country. Several groups in the state of Colorado, including AARP Colorado, AmeriCorps, and the grass roots agency Boomers Leading Change in Health have banded together to close the health coverage gap for Hispanic seniors in the metro area of Denver.
“There’s quite an audience out there that needs to be informed about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and what’s available, and increase the numbers of Latinos being enrolled,” said David Ronquillo, an AmeriCorps liaison working with AARP Colorado. “They are considered one of the most under-enrolled demographics in the United States.”
Nationally, the number of uninsured Latinos has been lowered to one in every five, or nearly 20%. However, the number overall is still quite large, especially among Latino senior citizens. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that only 23% of Latino seniors have Medicare with supplemental coverage. This is compared to 50% of non-Latino seniors who have coverage.
The groups jointly held a free public workshop in early March. Ronquillo said that other workshops will be held throughout the year in preparation for the next open enrollment period.
Latino senior citizens face a disproportionate amount of chronic health conditions including arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The biggest challenge to getting seniors connected to insurance is navigating the Internet-based enrollment process.
“If they’re in the Social Security system, they’ll automatically get a Medicare card,” said Ronquillo. “If they turn 65 even after the enrollment period, they become automatically covered.”
Read more about the story here.
Share on Twitter: Latino seniors are lagging far behind in healthcare coverage. #SaludAmerica
By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
