HHS: Most uninsured Latinos qualify for discounted healthcare

The Obama administration is seeking to highlight the healthcare benefits available to Latinos under ObamaCare.

In a new report, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that nearly eight in 10 uninsured Latinos qualify for some kind of government assistance with their healthcare.

{mosads}This could be Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or premium tax credits on the new private coverage marketplaces, the report stated.

“The healthcare law addresses longstanding inequalities that have affected minority communities across the nation,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 10.2 million uninsured Latinos have the opportunity to purchase quality, affordable coverage through the [insurance] marketplace, and as many as 8 million of those could get a break on costs.”

The report is part of the administration’s wider effort to recruit uninsured enrollees for ObamaCare’s new coverage options.

With less than two months until the close of open enrollment, federal health officials are reaching out to the Latino community, which has the highest uninsured rate of any U.S. ethnic group.

One in four uninsured people who are eligible for the insurance exchanges are Latino, according to the HHS report. Sixty-two percent live in three states — California, Texas and Florida — and about half are between the ages of 18 and 35.

The administration is hoping to enroll as many young, healthy people as possible to balance risk in the new exchanges.

HHS is directing uninsured Spanish speakers to cuidadodesalud.gov, a version of HealthCare.gov that experienced a long series of delays last fall.