paying for and gaining
access to health care
that they believe they
need. About one in seven (15%)
Latinos says that they or another
member of their household
needed medical care, but did not
get it during the past year, with
almost seven in ten of this group
saying the medical condition they
needed care for, but did not get,
was very (30%) or somewhat
(38%) serious. In addition, one in
five (20%) Latinos says that in the
past year, they or another member
in their household postponed
seeking medical care they felt
they needed but couldn’t afford,
with 44% of this group saying the
person never got the care they
needed. About one in five (22%)
Latinos reports that they have
had problems paying medical bills
in the past year, and of this
group, about half (48%) say those
bills had a major impact on themselves
or their family. . .
Communicating
Some Latinos report having problems
communicating with health
care providers due to language
barriers, or having difficulty getting
care due to their race and
ethnic background. Not surprisingly,
these experiences are more
common among those who are
Spanish dominant and among
those who were born outside the
United States. Almost three in
ten Latinos say they have had a
problem communicating with
health providers over the past
year . . . Almost two in ten Latinos
say they have had difficulty
getting care because of their race
or ethnic background over the
past year. . . Perhaps (cont. p. 2)
Results from “The Pew Hispanic
Center/Kaiser Family Foundation
2002 National Survey of Latinos,”
March 2004
Recognizing the tremendous
growth and complexity of the
Latino population, the Kaiser
Family Foundation and the Pew
Hispanic Center joined forces to
conduct a comprehensive national
survey of the Hispanic
population.
Health Care Coverage
According to the National Survey
of Latinos, over one-third of
Latino adults report lacking
health insurance. In addition,
almost six in ten (59%) of those
who do have health insurance say
that they personally know someone
who does not (38% of all
Latinos). Together, 73% of Latinos
either lack health insurance
coverage themselves, or know
someone who is uninsured.
It is a common misperception
that the majority of people without
health insurance is unemployed.
However, two-thirds of
Latinos who report being uninsured
are employed (63%). Another
20% say that they are
homemakers or stay-at-home
parents, 12% say that they are
currently unemployed, 3% say
that they are retired, and 3% say
that they are students. Foreignborn
Latinos (42%) are more
likely to report being uninsured
than Latinos born in the United
States (25%). Similarly, Latinos
who predominantly speak Spanish
(47%) are more likely to report
being uninsured than those who
are English dominant (26%). Considerably
more Latinos with incomes
less than $30,000 per year
(45%) report having no health
insurance, compared to those
with incomes of more than
$50,000 per year (11%).
Health insurance status also differs
by country of origin, and by
state of residence. For example,
Mexicans (39%) and Salvadorans
(41%) are considerably more
likely to report being uninsured
than are Puerto Ricans (18%),
Cubans (20%), Dominicans (29%),
or Colombians (30%). It is important
to note that immigration
policy and rules impact whether
or not specific groups of Latinos
are able to access public health
insurance programs like Medicaid.
The differences seen in
health insurance status by country
of origin can be at least partially
explained by these policies.
For example, Puerto Ricans are
U.S. citizens, and therefore, not
barred from participating in
Medicaid. Refugees are also eligible
for health insurance coverage
under Medicaid, and since Cubans
are considered refugees,
they can access this program. On
the other hand, new immigrants
(those coming to the United
States since 1996) from many
other countries are banned from
accessing public programs for five
years. . . .
Accessing Services
A substantial minority of Latinos
reports additional challenges in
