Families covered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are concerned about potential cuts currently up for debate in Washington.
A significant portion of minority communities are at risk of losing health coverage. Latino, Black and Native American communities would suffer the most from changes to the Medicaid program, according to Eric Rodriguez, a spokesman for the National Council of La Raza, the largest national Hispanic civil rights organization.
About 25 percent of Hispanic adults are on Medicaid according to Census figures. That’s compared to 10 percent of White adults.
“One out of every two Latino children is on Medicaid and CHIP across the country,” Rodriguez said in a media teleconference Tuesday. “So it’s a crucial program providing health care to families.”
Many Hispanic workers do not have health benefits, according to NCLR. About a third of Latinos are uninsured. That number would more than double if the federal cuts are passed.
