Majority of Hispanic/Latino adults don’t have adequate health insurance

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More Hispanic/Latino adults have health insurance in the United States than ever before.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the majority of Hispanic/Latino adults don’t have adequate insurance.

The findings were compiled by The Commonwealth Fund as part of the continuing measure of health care coverage and what that means for access in the United States. This fall, the nonprofit published “The State of Health Insurance Coverage in the U.S.,” findings from its biennial national survey on the issue. Commonwealth Fund President Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH, authored a follow-up essay with a title that summarizes the problem: “Hispanic/Latino Adults Lack Adequate, Affordable Health Insurance Coverage.”

Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH
_{© The Commonwealth Fund}

Challenges for health care access and affordability may affect different groups of people disproportionately, Betancourt said. He noted his own practice includes a diverse patient panel, including a significant number of Hispanic/Latino people.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010. Since then, the uninsured rate for Latinos dropped from 33% to 18%. That translates to 9 million people, according to The Commonwealth Fund figures.

Yet, 55% of Hispanic/Latino adults don’t have health insurance, or went without it for part of the last year. They also may be underinsured, with insurance plans that have unaffordable out-of-pocket costs that put care out of reach, according to The Commonwealth Fund.

By comparison, about 42% of the non-Hispanic/Latino population are underinsured.

By the numbers

Among Hispanic/Latino adults aged 19 to 64 years:

• 46% were insured all year and not underinsured
• 21% were underinsured, while having insurance all year
• 18% are insured now, but with a coverage gap
• 16% are uninsured now
• 52% said health care costs kept them from seeking care. That includes not filling a prescription, skipping follow-up tests or recommended specialty care, or avoiding the doctor when they were sick.

Once adults seek medical or dental care, debt lingers for 30% of patients. Among them, 76% have anxiety or worry, 42% cut back on basic necessities such as food, heat or rent, and 37% use up part or all of their savings to cover it, according to The Commonwealth Fund study.

Potential solutions

Hispanic/Latino patients would benefit from many of the policy changes that would help all Americans struggling with health care costs.

First, extend the ACA Marketplace premium tax credits introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those are set to expire in 2025, adding $705 to yearly costs for insureds in marketplace plans. Up to 4 million people could lose coverage if the tax credits expire. Lowering deductibles and out-of-pocket costs also would help people in marketplace plans, according to The Commonwealth Fund.

Additional recommendations from The Commonwealth Fund:

• Increase affordability for lower-wage workers by using incomes to adjust premiums and cost-sharing in employer-based plans.
• Establish a federal fallback option to cover an estimated 1.5 million uninsured people in 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid programs.
• Prevent lapses in coverage by allowing states to grant adults continuous Medicaid eligibility for 12 months. Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program have used that method to cover eligibility changes, administrative errors, or other factors that can leave people uninsured.