ACA Creates Urgent Need for Hispanic Health Care Professionals
By Cooper, Mary Ann | |
Proquest LLC |
When discussing the progress Hispnics have made and are making in joining the ranks of the burgeoning health care profession, it is not possible to ignore the impct of the elephant in the room - the recently launched Affordable Care Act (ACA). With more and more previously uninsured Hispanics signing up for newly-minted pofldes, there is an increasing need for Hispanic health professionals to treat them. And while the lists that follow of the top two-year and four-year schools awarding the most degrees to Hispanics entering the health care profession demonstrate progress, the need is great and there is still a long way to go to achieve true diversity in this area.
The conventional wisdom has been that non-Hispanic health professionals fluent in Spanish would amply fill that role, but Dr.
In a recent blog entry on NHMA's website, Rios noted that those in the health care industry should understand a basic reality. "When it comes to gaining access to health insurance, Hispanics have struggled more than any other demographic in America. Roughly 30 percent of Hispanics remain uninsured compared to just 19 percent of African-Americans and 11 percent of whites. And growing demand for health care services coupled with the dwindling numbers of primary care physicians means that even with health insurance coverage, accessing health care may still present challenges for some patients."
To that end. this year, the
And according to a recent online survey, the NHMA and its membership have their work cut out for them. HolaDoctor, a health website for Hispanics, conducted a survey of Hispanics in February to learn about their opinion of the Affordable Care Act and their plans to purchase this enrollment cycle. The survey was conducted in Spanish and involved almost 700 respondents, of which those reporting not possessing legal residency were excluded from the survey analysis. Of all respondents, 62 percent reported that they aid not have insurance, and 57 percent reported having intentions to buy a plan via Obamacare (the term Obamacare was used as it is more well-known in the Hispanic community). Of those who do not have health insurance, 77 percent said they planned on buying a plan via the health insurance marketplace, but had little understanding of the deadlines of open enrollment and what plans would be available to them.
In addition, the survey revealed Hispanics' opinions about Obamacare: 67 percent of all respondents had a positive view of Obamacare. This overall positivity toward the plan was observed despite the fact that 51 percent of all respondents and 53 percent of those without insurance did not know the government offers financial help to buy insurance. "These statistics show us that the Hispanic community is open to Obamacare, but they still need more information in order to really understand the law and enroll in the health insurance exchanges," says
The survey also shed light on the best ways to reach Hispanics through marketing and enrollment tactics; for example, 47 percent of respondents filled out the survey via a mobile device (phone or tablet), demonstrating the opportunities of mobile outreach and marketing. In addition, 49 percent of all respondents without insurance who intended to buy through the health insurance marketplace planned on enrolling in person, while 31percent reported intentions to enroll via the Internet. Finally, 49 percent of all respondents who did not have insurance and reported that they did not intend to buy cited the price of the plans or their low incomes as reasons for not purchasing a plan.
Rios founded the NHMA in 1994, which advocates on behalf of the nation's 45,000 Hispanic health care professionals. One of the goals in the Affordable Care Act is building diversity in the health care workforce. The number of Hispanics attending medical school continues to increase, rising to 1,826 enrollees, according to an
As Rios told Kaiser, there has never been a more urgent need for more Hispanics in the health care field. "We need diversity in medical education at all levels, including medical students as well as faculty, as well as mentoring, so mat more students who are not students of color can get a better understanding of how to take care of people."
Copyright: | (c) 2014 The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education |
Wordcount: | 971 |
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