Join us for a Spanish Language Twitter Chat

April is National Minority Health Month dedicated to advancing health equity on behalf of racial and ethnic minorities. This year’s theme is “Health Equity Can’t Wait. Act Now in Your CommUnity.” It’s also a time to celebrate the opportunities of the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act, groundbreaking policies to reduce health disparities.

To talk about Minority Health Month and what the health law means for Latinos, we’ll be hosting a Spanish language twitter chat on Tuesday, April 10^th at 2pm EST. You can follow along at our Spanish language twitter handle: @HHSLatino, and also by following the hashtag: #LaSaludLatina. Between now and then, think of the question you might have about Latinos and health, and then ask via twitter during the chat.

Historically, Latinos have faced significant barriers to accessing affordable health insurance and these barriers have contributed to significant health disparities.

• 32 percent of Latinos were uninsured in 2009 – higher than any other racial or ethnic group – and half of Latinos did not have a regular doctor, compared with only one-fifth of white Americans.
• Twenty percent of low-income Latino youth have gone a year without a health care visit – a rate three times higher than that for high-income whites
• Latinos were diagnosed with AIDS at three times the rate of whites.
• In 2006, almost half of Latinos reported they did not always get care when they needed it, compared with 43 percent of blacks and 41 percent of white Americans

Today, more than 1.2 million Latinos, Blacks, Asian Americans and American Indian/Alaska Natives have gained coverage because the Affordable Care Act allows young adults without employer-provided insurance to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26. Under the new health care law, all Americans no longer have to worry about losing coverage if they're laid off or change jobs. And insurance companies now have to cover preventive care like mammograms and other cancer screenings. The new law also makes a significant investment in State and community-based efforts that promote public health, prevent disease and protect against public health emergencies.

We’ll be discussing these topics and more. We hope you can join us next Tuesday at 2pm!