The first enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act is approaching, and a major push is on to get people who are eligible to sign up. Here in Arizona, there is a special focus on enrolling Hispanics, according to Mayra Alvarez, associate director of the U.S. Office of Minority Health.
“We know that access to health care is an important social determinant of health that contributes to health disparities for Latinos and many populations, and under the Affordable Care Act, we know that one out of every four eligible Americans for coverage is Latinos," said Alvarez. "That equates to 10.2 million eligible Latinos."
In Arizona, there are more than a 500,000 Latinos without health insurance, a majority of whom are eligible for coverage. The deadline to enroll for this year is March 31, and those who fail to enroll could face penalties.