Some big changes in 2022 and 2023 have set up the healthcare sector to advance screening for non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH) in 2024 and beyond. This is great news as we work to address NMDoH, improve health outcomes, and reduce health issues. But one key NMDoH-related need – transportation – isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Transportation is a foundational NMDoH-related need and often co-occurs with other needs and/or acts as a challenge to resolving other needs. Yet transportation is often poorly conceptualized, thus is poorly operationalized in NMDoH-related need screening tools and related justifications. In this post, we review the following big changes as they relate to transportation as non-medical drivers of health: Big Change 1: In 2022, ...
The 2024 calendar year marks a potential turning point in the federal government as the presidential election is set to take center stage in November.
Latino voters could help decide the outcome.
Of the over 246 million Americans projected to be registered to vote in 2024, 36.2 million are Latino, according to data published by Pew Research Center. That’s a 3.9 million increase from the last presidential election.
The recent rise in projected voter registration means that Latinos will have a 14.71% say in what happens in the upcoming election.
So, what’s on the mind of the Latino voter?
To answer, Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors partnered with UnidosUS and BSP Research to survey 1,500 Latino parents with children 5-years-old and younger to understand the issues driving them to the ...
This year, over 2 million American will get a cancer diagnosis, including many Latinos.
As one of the leading causes of death in Latinos in the U.S., one in five men and one in seven women who are Latino will die from the disease.
Cancer also takes a heavy financial toll on patients, whose survival is dependent upon a variety of factors, including access to quality, often costly, healthcare treatments.
Let’s explore the cost burden of cancer, and what to do about it. The Cost Burden of Cancer
In 2018, patients and their families paid $5.6 billion out of pocket for cancer treatments, such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy drugs, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Americans spent a total of $183 billion on cancer-related healthcare in 2015 - an amount ...
Challenges in health insurance coverage and healthcare access worsened during the pandemic, according to a new study in the journal Geospatial Health. The study found Latinos and African Americans were the most affected populations. “Our results suggest that loss of insurance coverage and reduced access to health services deepened inequities in an already uneven healthcare landscape, particularly for African American and Hispanic/Latino populations,” according to the study researchers. Let’s dive into what the data found and what this means for Latinos.
How Did COVID-19 Impact Healthcare for Latinos?
Study researchers – from CDC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health – ...
New cancer cases are projected to surpass 2 million in 2024 - a first in for the U.S., according to American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2024 report.
The landmark projection amounts to 5,500 diagnoses a day.
The American Cancer Society attributes the rise in cases to a growing and aging population along with an increase in diagnoses of six common cancers – breast, prostate, endometrial, pancreatic, kidney, and melanoma.
In addition, the organization is projecting over 611,000 deaths from cancer in 2024, a .19% increase from 2023. That is more than 1,600 deaths each day!
While cancer is prevalent across all people, it disproportionately continues to affect some groups, such as Latinos.
Cancer in Latinos
Cancer is a top cause of death for ...
The time is now to secure medical insurance through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). After three years of automatic renewal because of the COVID-19 pandemic, states went back to screening for eligibility in early 2023. As a result, an estimated 15 million people, including 4.6 million Latinos, could lose their medical coverage through these programs over the next few months, depending on what state you live in. To address this, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a new online resource to help people navigate the renewal and/or healthcare transition processes. “Nobody who is eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program should be disenrolled simply because they didn’t have enough ...
Having fast, affordable internet can improve lives with access to education, healthcare, and jobs, among other important opportunities. But nearly 7 million Texans are being left behind, without high-speed internet. With this in mind, the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) is encouraging public comments on the proposed Texas Digital Opportunity Plan. The digital opportunity plan focuses on “closing the digital divide in Texas and ensuring every Texan has the skills and abilities to fully and safely utilize broadband access.” Submit a comment on the draft plan to address broadband access, affordability, and adoption in Texas by Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Comment NOW!
Why Is the Digital Divide an Issue?
About 2.8 million Texas households are in the ...
Latinas make, on average, 52 cents for every $1 that white men make. This historic pay gap has worsened over time and contributes to poor health, especially in Latinas with expensive, chronic conditions, such as breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the most expensive cancers to treat. It also happens to be the most diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death among Latinas. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), we’re highlighting how unfair Latina pay negatively impacts Latina breast cancer health outcomes and survivorship.
Why Does the Latina Wage Gap Exist?
Women in general earn 82% of what men earn. The reasons for this wage gap are multifaceted, according to Pew Research. Half of US adults blame the employer for wage differences, agreeing ...
Times are financially tough for many families, especially low-income Latinos. To save money, many people are cutting costs on non-essentials, like eating out, entertainment, and more. But some people are cutting costs on items that are normally considered essential, like prescription medications, according to a recent US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) report. Let’s explore what adults are most likely to skip taking medications to save money, the consequences of this behavior, and how leaders are working to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.
Groups Most Affected by Drug Costs
Unfortunately, groups most likely to skip medication to save money are those who are already vulnerable to health differences, according to the CDC report. These groups include ...
