Initiative Profiles Latinos and the Broken Health Care System

Washington, DC—Marking the beginning of National Minority Health Month and responding to the deep health inequities that Latinos face, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—today launched a research series that illustrates the state of Hispanic health care. This series outlines Hispanics’ interactions with the fractured U.S. health care system, offering a national perspective on the trends in Latino health.

NCLR will introduce Profiles of Latino Health: The Top Twelve Questions About Latinos and Health Care in 12 weekly installments to provide at-a-glance synopses of the Latino experience in the U.S. health care system. Each installment will answer a critical question on one of the following topics: Latino health trends, health insurance coverage, access to care, health care costs, and health care quality. NCLR is kicking off the series with Question 1: Which health conditions disparately impact Latinos?

Fixing our health care system must be a priority if Americans are going to recover from the economic crisis. Our health care system must be reformed with smart investments that connect people with affordable, high-quality services to get healthy and stay that way. This series demonstrates that while Latinos face significant challenges in the health care system, there are opportunities to build upon promising health indicators within the community. As lawmakers reform health care, it will be imperative to integrate these perspectives into measures to fix the system. It can mean the difference between a life-saving diagnosis and a deadly missed opportunity for important medical attention.

Download Question 1: Which health conditions disparately impact Latinos?

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