223511 Access to Health Care Services is an Issue of Social Justice for All Americans – The Social Implications of Health Care Reform for Uninsured Hispanics and Latinos in the United States

Monday, November 8, 2010

Marian M. Inguanzo, ACSW , Social Service Consultant, Bronx, NY
Mitchell A. Kaplan, PhD , Private Evaluation Consultant, Brooklyn, NY
Government statistics estimate that there are currently 46 million Americans in the United States that do not have health insurance coverage. More than 20% of the uninsured are Hispanic and Latino Americans. Understanding the health care needs of uninsured culturally diverse populations in the United States such as Hispanics and Latinos is of critical importance to policy makers in government agencies who are seeking to develop legislative solutions to the current crisis in the American health care system. This poster presentation will examine the role that social disparities in health insurance coverage plays in access to primary care services by poor Hispanic and Latino Americans. Social and cultural barriers to service access encountered by uninsured members of Hispanic and Latino communities will be described along with proposed government recommendations for policy reform measures that can address these concerns.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines

Learning Objectives:
• To examine the effects of social and cultural barriers upon access to health care services by the uninsured in poor Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States • Discuss strategic approaches for government health care policy reform that can eliminate barriers and provide greater access to needed care by Hispanic and Latino Americans without insurance • To demonstrate effective community outreach approaches that can be utilized to enhance public knowledge and understanding of the policy structure of the U.S. health care delivery system for members of the Hispanic and Latino American community • To make recommendations for policy changes that will train providers to effectively integrate culturally appropriate services into the U. S. health care system that will benefit disadvantaged Hispanic and Latino communities

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Community Health Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee programs such as disease prevention and health related. I am have over 15 years of professional experience in Social Work.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3364.0: Unnatural Causes: Factors of Morbidity and Mortality in Vulnerable Populations