Latino Health and National Health Reform

By 2050, the U.S. Latino population, already the nation’s largest minority group, will triple in size and will account for most of the population growth in the U.S. over the next four decades. Hispanics will make up almost three out of every 10 people in the U.S. by 2050.

This growth will have important implications for health care in the U.S., and for national health reform.

What health concerns do Latinos have? What diseases affect Hispanics disproportionately and what special prevention efforts are needed for this community? Will we have enough health professionals who are culturally competent to care for Latinos? How should national health reform proposals address the health needs of Hispanics? How were these needs addressed in California’s recent effort at comprehensive health reform? Who should pay for the health care of undocumented immigrants who lack health coverage?

To address these and related questions, the Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored an Aug. 13 briefing. A special focus of the briefing was the impacts of a report released by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Aug. 12 on the health needs of Latinos who are in the U.S. legally and illegally.

Transcript

Full Transcript (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Speaker Presentations

Susan Minushkin Presentation (PowerPoint)
Sumi Sousa Presentation (PowerPoint)
William Vega Presentation (PowerPoint)
Elena Rios Presentation (PowerPoint)