Oct 2, 2013 - With the Start of the ObamaCare Enrollment Period, NHLA Organizations Educate Latino Families About New Affordable Health Insurance Options

Events around the country encourage Latinos to enroll starting October 1

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
October 1, 2013

Washington, D.C. -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 36 of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, and its members are reaching out to Latino families nationwide to encourage those without health insurance to enroll through the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplace, which opens on October 1, providing affordable insurance options to Latinos across the nation, 31 percent of whom are currently uninsured. Through regional forums and education campaigns, NHLA organizations are working to address health disparities in the Latino community by reducing the number of uninsured families.

"With the Affordable Care Act, over ten million Latinos who could not afford health insurance will now have a range of new options. However, the new Health Insurance Marketplace will only succeed in improving the health of our community if Latinos know what programs are available and how to enroll. The work of our member organizations has built crucial momentum. Beginning on October 1, I urge all uninsured families to visit HealthCare.gov orCuidadodesalud.gov or call 800-318-2596 to learn more about their options and enroll," said Hector Sanchez, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).

“The National Hispanic Medical Association is dedicated to ensuring that every eligible Latino is covered by health insurance, which is why we have started our ‘Covered Hispanics Campaign’ with regional forums and media partners who are working with our health experts to educate our communities through television, radio, newspapers, and social media,” said Dr. Elena Rios, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA).

"With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Latino young adults and workers across America will finally have the opportunity to secure health insurance that allows them to protect and care for themselves and their families.” said José Calderón, President of the Hispanic Federation.

“No community stands to gain as much as the Latino community as a result of this law, and to ensure that happens the Federation has launched a multi-state ACA Public Education Initiative to touch tens of thousands of Latinos through grassroots community education, multimedia public outreach and enrollment assistance across multiple states." Jessica González-Rojas, Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, commented, “As a Champion for Coverage, we are proud to work with the Administration and our community partners so that our friends, familias, and comunidades have the information and tools they need to participate in open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace. We will continue to find solutions with the Administration so that every Latina can access quality, linguistically and culturally competent, affordable health care without barriers.”

“Latinos have so much to gain through these new options,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR. “The opening of the marketplaces marks a turning point for millions of Latinos who work incredibly hard but either aren’t offered coverage options or simply can’t afford health insurance. By finally giving them a place to go, we are giving Latinos the power to take care of their health care needs.”

Among the NHLA members who have begun outreach campaigns are NCLR, which hosted a health summit in New Orleans, and the National Hispanic Medical Association’s “Covered Hispanics Campaign” has already hosted regional forums featuring speakers from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Healthcare Insurance Marketplaces in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Antonio. Upcoming NHMA events are scheduled for Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Chicago.The Hispanic Federation has hosted a multi-state ACA Public Education Initiative; NCLR hosted a health summit in New Orleans; and the National Hispanic Medical Association, with its “Covered Hispanics Campaign,” has already hosted regional forums featuring speakers from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Healthcare Insurance Marketplaces in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Antonio.

Upcoming NHMA events are scheduled for Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Chicago. The Hispanic Federation’s ACA Public Education Initiative will provide vital information to Latinos about the Affordable Care Act in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida through hundreds of trained community health workers and major communication partners across media platforms.

Consumers can also learn more about the new Health Insurance Marketplace in both English and Spanish through social media at Facebook.com/HealthCare.gov,Facebook.com/CuidadoDeSalud.gov, @HealthCareGov and @CuidadoDeSalud.

Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

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