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PRESS RELEASE

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 01, 2013--

impreMedia and Latino Decisions in conjunction with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Health Policy Center, today released key findings of a national Latino poll indicating that less than a quarter of Latinos feel well informed about the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The results of the tracking poll were released as part of the “We The People, Health Care Symposium” sponsored by impreMedia, The Latino Coalition and AltaMed, held today in Washington, D.C. With more than 46 million uninsured people living in the U.S., nearly 35% of the uninsured are Latinos. The symposium brought a collective group of some of the country’s top medical experts, business leaders and advocates to discuss how healthcare under the ACA will play a heightened role in the lives of Latinos across the country.

Signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, the ACA is landmark legislation including comprehensive health care reforms that will roll out through 2014. However, the impreMedia-Latino Decisions poll found that 69% of Latinos think the ACA is confusing and complicated. When asked to name different parts of the ACA, 71% of respondents said, “don’t know” yet 89% said they are interested in learning more about the law.

“This is a watershed moment in the American health care system and sadly Latinos are feeling left out,” said Monica Lozano, CEO of impreMedia. “It is imperative that Latinos understand how the changes under this law will impact them, and how to make the informed decisions for themselves, their businesses and their families.”

Only 13% of Latinos believe that public officials took the needs of the Latino community into account during the ACA debate and bill passage. Despite having limited awareness about the legislation, 75% indicated that the ACA would be good for the Latino community in the long run.

The ACA changes come at a time when health care costs are creating significant burdens on Latino families. The poll found that 35% of Latinos lacked health insurance at some time in the past 12 months and an additional 10% said they lost their health insurance during the recession over the past 4 years — all told that is 45% of Latinos who have not had permanent and regular access to health insurance.

“Latinos have bore the brunt of a broken health care system for decades, ” said Matt Barreto, Co-founder of Latino Decisions. “Now that this new health care law is in place, there needs to be significant outreach to Latinos to explain exactly how people can access health insurance and ultimately get access to health care treatments. Very large majorities of Latinos are telling us in this poll they want and need more information about the ACA.”

The poll found that 49% indicated that their health care costs have increased in the past year and 76% said rising costs have created a significant financial burden. In fact, more than a quarter said because of these costs that they of family members have skipped recommended medical tests or treatment and have been unable to pay for basic necessities like food or housing.

The poll also revealed that there is a variety of effective ways to reach Latinos about the ACA including distribution of information that is bilingual and culturally relevant — not just a literal translation. In addition, use of credible, trusted sources of information such as hospitals, community centers, health care professionals and Spanish-language media is also important. In fact, 76% of Latinos indicated that they would be likely to enroll in the ACA if they were asked to do so by a Latino doctor or nurse and were given more information about the legislation.

Media Footnote: All References to the poll must be as follows: impreMedia-Latino Decisions Poll. For more information on the poll, please go to www.latinodecisions.com.

Methodology

Latino Decisions and impreMedia partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico in the design of the survey focused on Latinos knowledge and attitudes toward the Affordable Care Act. All phone calls were administered by Pacific Market Research in Renton, Washington. The poll was overseen by Drs. Matt Barreto and Gabriel Sanchez- both experts in Latino public opinion. A total of 800 completed interviews were conducted with Latino adults. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%. Respondents were interviewed by telephone, and could choose to be interviewed in either English or Spanish. A mix of cell phone only and landline households were included in the sample, and both samples are weighted to match the 2010 Current Population Survey universe estimate of Latinos. The survey was approximately 20 minutes long and was fielded from April 11, 2013 through April 25, 2013.

About impreMedia

impreMedia is the leading Hispanic news and information company in the U.S. in online and print. impreMedia’s multi-platform offerings include: print, digital, mobile and events. Twenty-six percent of U.S. Hispanic adults use an impreMedia product. impreMedia is also the nation’s largest Hispanic newspaper publisher with publications in top U.S. Hispanic markets, reaching 15 markets total that represent 57% of the U.S. Hispanic population. Its leading publications include La Opinión in Los Angeles, and El Diario/La Prensa in New York, both of which are 2012 NAHP Gold (La Opinión) and Silver (El Diario/La Prensa) award winners for outstanding Spanish daily. For more information, visit: www.impremedia.net.

impreMedia portals and publication websites include: www.impremedia.com, www.impowergroup.com, www.laopinion.com, www.eldiariony.com, www.hoynyc.com, www.laraza.com, www.laprensafl.com, www.elmensajero.com, www.rumbotx.com, and www.vistamagazine.com.

About Latino Decisions

Latino Decisions is a joint effort between Pacific Market Research, a nationally known research firm, and Dr. Gary Segura and Dr. Matt Barreto, leading Latino politics scholars and professors at Stanford University and the University of Washington. Both Dr. Segura and Dr. Barreto are experienced and nationally respected researchers who have a deep understanding of U.S. Latino culture and advanced quantitative research skills. Their expertise, coupled with Pacific Market Research’s logistical capabilities, makes Latino Decisions a leader in the field. For more information, please visit www.latinodecisions.com or call 877-271-2300.

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[Photo by edenpictures]

By Elise Viebeck, The Hill

Comprehensive immigration reform could make millions of people suddenly eligible for assistance under President Obama’s healthcare law, assuming a final deal paves the way for undocumented immigrants to receive papers.

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo by Alex E. Proimos]

By Hispanically Speaking News

The Obama administration moved forward today to implement provisions in the health care law that would make it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. The provisions of the Affordable Care Act also would make it easier for consumers to compare health plans, and employers to promote and encourage employee wellness.

“The Affordable Care Act is building a health insurance market that works for consumers,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Thanks to the health care law, no one will be discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition.”

“The Affordable Care Act recognizes that well-run, equitable workplace wellness programs allow workers to access services that can help them and their families lead healthier lives,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Employers, too, can benefit from reduced costs associated with a healthier workforce.”

The Obama administration issued:

- A proposed rule that, beginning in 2014, prohibits health insurance companies from discriminating against individuals because of a pre-existing or chronic condition. Under the rule, insurance companies would be allowed to vary premiums within limits, only based on age, tobacco use, family size and geography. Health insurance companies would be prohibited from denying coverage to any American because of a pre-existing condition or from charging higher premiums to certain enrollees because of their current or past health problems, gender, occupation, and small employer size or industry. The rule would ensure that people for whom coverage would otherwise be unaffordable and young adults have access to a catastrophic coverage plan in the individual market. For more information regarding this rule, visithttp://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2012/11/market-reforms11202012a.html.

- A proposed rule outlining policies and standards for coverage of essential health benefits, while giving states more flexibility to implement the Affordable Care Act. Essential health benefits are a core set of benefits that would give consumers a consistent way to compare health plans in the individual and small group markets. A companion letter on the flexibility in implementing the essential health benefits in Medicaid was also sent to states. For more information regarding this rule, visithttp://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2012/11/ehb11202012a.html.

- A proposed rule implementing and expanding employment-based wellness programs to promote health and help control health care spending, while ensuring that individuals are protected from unfair underwriting practices that could otherwise reduce benefits based on health status. For more information regarding this rule, visit http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2012/11/wellness11202012a.html

This article was first published in Hispanically Speaking News.

[Photo courtesy Hispanically Speakling News]

By Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica

It wasn’t just President Barack Obama who won Tuesday. His signature health care plan did as well. But while the Affordable Care Act remains alive, less clear is how its various mandates will proceed and who will participate.

To a large extent, the success of the health overhaul lies in how many of the nation’s uninsured get coverage. And that is largely in the hands of the states, which have been all over the map in their willingness to cooperate.

By Voxxi Health

This week, more than 47 million women in the United States gained access to additional preventative health care options under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Department of Health and Human Services states that provisions effective as of August 1 include no-cost HPV testing, HIV screening, breastfeeding support, and preventative services for gestational diabetes.

Senator Robert Menendez says the expanded coverage — which exists without co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance requirements — is proof the ACA is making a positive impact in the lives of Hispanics, a demographic disproportionately affected by cervical cancer, gestational diabetes and HIV.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of Hispanic women now have access to more free preventive health care services unique to their needs, including well-visits, vaccinations, and education, leading to prevention, early detection and thus, lower health care costs and better overall health,” he said in a statement.

The expansion of the women’s health programs is important, says Jessica González-Rojas, from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, because many Latino health disparities “stem from a lack of access to preventative services.”

González-Rojas adds she has personally experienced reasons why the ACA expansion is beneficial. “When I gave birth, I needed help with breastfeeding,” she explained. “I had to spend two hundred and fifty dollars on a lactation consultant, since it was not included in my insurance. Considering how beneficial breastfeeding is for the baby’s and mother’s health, I am glad this is now covered under women’s preventive services.”

In addition to the above screening programs, Healthcare.gov states a total of eight  expansions are now available in women’s healthcare, including:

• Annual wellness visits
• Sexually transmitted infection counseling
• Access to contraceptives and contraceptive counseling
• Interpersonal and domestic violence screenings and counseling

While the expansions are designed to reduce health disparities by decreasing health costs, some exemptions to the new rules exist. For example, to prevent a conflict with religious beliefs, health plans from “certain religious employers” are not required to provide coverage for contraception. Women working in such facilities will still have the option of contraceptive coverage, but without the cost-sharing associated with employers.

“The affordable care act is working,” said Menendez, “and this is one more example of the positive impact it is having in our communities. As long as I have a voice in the Senate, I will continue to fight against efforts to repeal the very health care law that is ensuring Hispanic women get the preventive care they need with no out-of-pocket cost.”

This article was first published in Voxxi.

[Photo by Alex E. Proimos]

By Hope Gillette, Voxxi

The Supreme Court has upheld the entire Affordable Care Act in a monumental ruling set to impact millions of people in the United States. Only the government’s power to eliminate states’ Medicaid funds has been deemed “narrowly read” – meaning it is limited but not invalidated.

“Nothing in our opinion precludes Congress from offering funds under the ACA to expand the availability of health care, and requiring that states accepting such funds comply with the conditions on their use. What Congress is not free to do is to penalize States that choose not to participate in that new program by taking away their existing Medicaid funding,” says the Court’s live blog report from page 55 of the opinion.

Twenty six states took the health law to court in this landmark case, claiming the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was unconstitutional, and that the government had overstepped its bounds on certain provision of the law. The individual mandate, which requires eligible residents of the country to purchase health insurance or face a penalty, was at the heart of the debate.

During the courtroom debate, Justices acknowledged the potential repercussions of repealing the law, but ultimately decided to uphold ACA, with Chief Justice Robert’s being the swing vote in the 5-4 ruling.

Now, with the law, young adults, seniors and minorities, as well as 30 million people who stood to gain insurance in 2014, will continue to march toward that goal. Those who are eligible and do not participate in the health care programs available will be subject to a minimum tax penalty.

With the health care reform, young adults will be allowed by law to remain on parents’ insurance plans until age 25, a provision of the health reform that ultimately increased coverage to 75 percent for people between the ages of 19 and 25, according to the Associated Press.

With over 3 million young adults added to insurances plans through the ACA, the provision was popular enough with the nation’s residents many private insurers stated they would carry on this form of coverage in one way or another.

Seniors are similarly affected by the ruling in favor of health reform law. Under the ACA, senior patients were already seeing benefits in regards to prescription coverage, with many individuals able to obtain important medications through discounts on name-brand and generic purchases. Seniors will retain no-cost no-co-pay preventative disease screenings and wellness visits, as well as a guarantee their coverage would not be adjusted based on chronic illness or capped with a lifetime limitation.

Latinos also benefit from the already-created Office of Minority Health and its efforts toward eliminating health disparities.

A 2009 Gallup poll found that 41.7 percent of Hispanics in the country, aged 18 and over, lacked health insurance, compared with a national average of 16 percent and 11.6 percent of Non-Hispanic whites.

Under the ACA, many Hispanics will now have access to health care, including the 39 percent of uninsured Latino children who will be allowed to remain on their parents’ policies until the age of 26.

But the Supreme Court’s decision doesn’t just affect certain age groups or ethnicities; the law affects residents of the United States as a whole, with important health care issues no longer left hanging on the Court’s decision.

By 2014, 30 million people will gain access to health care coverage, able to shop for their own plans through government mandated exchange programs.

Insurance companies will be held accountable for their spending and for premium increases, and those who fail to meet certain standards will issue refunds to the insured.

One of the most popular portions of the law in regards to children, eliminates policies from insurance companies pertaining to preexisting conditions. Now, no child can be denied coverage due to a preexisting condition.

But it’s not just children benefiting from a lift of insurance limitations. Adults can no longer be denied coverage for medical conditions, nor can a lifetime limitation be placed on their coverage. Insurance companies won’t be able to increase premiums either.

Women, like seniors, will benefit from free wellness programs. Breast cancer screenings and contraceptives will be covered under no-cost or no-copy visits.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Hope Gillette is an award winning author and novelist. She has been active in the veterinary industry for over 10 years, and her experience extends from exotic animal care to equine sports massage. She shares her home with four cats, a dog, a horse, and her tolerant husband.

[Image By nffcnnr]

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco Editor

There was a gasp, there was confusion, then there was elation, or not, depending on where you stand on the Affordable Care Act.

The initial word from the U.S. Supreme Court was that the individual mandate portion of the Healthcare Reform law had been struck down. And word began to run through the Internets. Moments later that word was reversed. The mandate, according to other reports, had been upheld. So which was it?

It was both, in quick succession, as only the Supreme Court can produce it. What had happened is that the question of the individual mandate – that part of the Affordable Care Act that requires Americans to buy health insurance – had two parts to it: one with regards to a commerce clause, and another regarding taxing authority. The first question reported was the commerce question, which the Justices struck down. In essence the Supreme Court said that the Federal Government did not have the authority, under the commerce clause, to force Americans to purchase health insurance. The second question reported, only moments after the first, concerned the taxing authority, where a majority of the justices agreed that the Federal Government did indeed have the authority to mandate health insurance as a tax.

The interim, between one report and the other, caused the confusion.

NewsTaco posted a CNN tweet on Facebook about the initial commerce clause decision. And moments later re-posted a Supreme Court blog post about the commerce clause decision. Naturally, it was the first post that attracted the most  attention.

This gives me two things to be excited about: one is the immediate nature of the digital media that provides a running – as it happens – picture of events; the other is the plugged-in nature of the NewsTaco reader. Put the two together and you get the reason we started our website – to create a space for ongoing conversation, where Latinos can engage and feel comfortable speaking their minds about topics that are important to them.

Precisely for this reason we’ve left that conversation intact on our Facebook wall, even though it was suggested we delete it because of the apparently false initial information. But, it wasn’t wrong, as reported in the moment. It was incomplete, and the information was filled-in later in that same conversation and in another post.

So now the work moves on to analyzing the Supreme Court decision and for that we’d love to hear your thoughts. After all, that’s what NewsTaco is about.