Latino Enrollment Numbers Show Community Outreach Works, More Needed
For Immediate Release: May 2, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a brief providing updated enrollment numbers showing states with the highest shares of Marketplace selections were the same states where Latinos had the most access to enrollment assistance. States include: Texas at 33.6 percent, New Mexico at 31.1 percent, Arizona at 24.2 percent, followed by Florida at 19.2 percent. The report also shows that the highest increases in sign-ups occurred during February and March when Latinos had the most access to enrollment assistance through events and outreach efforts led by local community organizations.
The following is a statement by Vanessa Gonzalez-Plumhoff, Director of Latino Engagement:
“Today’s numbers show that when Latinos have access to in-person enrollment assistance, the number of sign-ups among Latinos increases considerably. The fact is, despite being a population that is hard to reach, when Latinos receive information and education about insurance, they sign up, and that’s a testament to the coordinated outreach efforts led by Planned Parenthood and its partner organizations who worked together to do what was most needed: to go out into the community and educate Latinos about insurance.
“The Affordable Care Act is fundamentally transforming access to health care, particularly for Latinos. Before Obamacare, getting insurance was considered wishful thinking for millions of Latinos. Now, getting insurance is no longer a daunting task but instead within the reach of millions of informed Latinos expected to sign up during the next enrollment period.
“Obamacare has indeed made insurance more affordable and accessible, and as Latinos start taking advantage of preventive health care benefits, like birth control with no copay and health screenings, word will spread and interest in enrollment will escalate. We need to continue doing a better job of tapping into Latinos’ strong support and social networks with better information about the law and how to sign up.”
About Planned Parenthood’s Community Outreach
Planned Parenthood joined forces with national and local community organizations to host 65 community events in states with large populations of Latinos with high rates of uninsurance, providing one-on-one assistance with applications, enrollment and education about ACA benefits. States included: Florida, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Georgia. Four of these states showed the highest share of Marketplace sign-ups among Latinos.
Dozens of canvassers knocked on more than 1.5 million doors, carrying tablets, and giving individuals and families access to technology that enables them to complete their application for new health care coverage at the door. More than half of this work was done in Spanish, helping to reach the nation’s nearly 1 in 3 non-elderly Latinos that are uninsured.