Our Issues: Access to Health Care

NLIRH Statement on the passage of Health Care Reform

On March 21, 2010, Congress passed a major health care reform package and on March 30, 2010, the President signed the accompanying reconciliation bill into law.

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health commends Congress and the Administration for continuing to push for much-needed health reform that includes critical pieces affecting our community.

However, this battle was fought on the bodies of women and immigrant women. In the eleventh hour, President Barack Obama caved to the demands of a handful of anti-choice Democrats by agreeing to use the lives of women as trade. He will use his pen to add weight to the already cumbersome abortion restrictions in the health care bill. Latinas, immigrants, and women of color are deeply affected by any language restricting abortion access - because women of color and immigrants are disproportionately poor, they are less likely to be able to pay for reproductive health care out-of-pocket, which puts them at risk for seeking alternative, unsafe abortion methods. While health reform might lead to more Latinas being covered, it leaves out a significant portion of the population. By excluding and stigmatizing immigrants and women who need abortions, we are pushing them to the shadows of our health care system and placing unfair burden on the already-strained system of community health care centers and emergency rooms. Over half of all immigrants are women, and 53% of all immigrants are from Latin America; though just recently signed by the President, this law is already outdated.

NLIRH has been working tirelessly over the past year to ensure that the health care reform process was one that included the needs of women and families in our communities. Our activists have been engaged in unprecedented numbers - evidence that the women in our communities know more than anyone else how deeply health care reform is needed.

The health care reform package will cover an estimated 9 million uninsured Latinos and increase funding for community health centers, which is a lifeline for many in our neighborhoods. In addition, 4.4 million Americans in Puerto Rico and territories will receive $6.3 billion in new Medicaid funding, increased flexibility in how to use federal funding, access to the Exchange and $1 billion in subsides for low-income residents. Finally, we also know that this law will expand family planning under Medicaid, increasing access to preventative reproductive health care service.

However, that women were used as wedges in this process is absolutely unacceptable. Over and over, our needs were compromised away. The fact that health care reform has passed in the House represents a truly historic moment for the United States. That it is marred by the President's inability to protect the rights of women is truly disappointing.

Latinas have a deep stake in the future of health care reform in the United States.

As politicians debate how best to address the problem of rising health care costs and whether to reauthorize certain government-subsidized health programs, Latinas continue to face barriers to accessing their very basic reproductive health care needs. Latinas have the highest rate of uninsured amongst all women in the US: 38% of Latinas are uninsured compared to 13% of white women. Approximately 12% of Latinas use Medicaid for their health care needs, which limit access to abortion care under the Hyde Amendment.

Not all Latinas are able to enroll in publicly funded programs like Medicaid, even when seeking basic services such as family planning, gynecological exams or testing for sexually transmitted infections. Many Latinas who meet income eligibility standards for Medicaid are often denied access to these public services due to their immigration status. If they are undocumented or are legal permanent residents with less than five years in the US, they are barred from accessing federally-funded care under Medicaid. In addition, those who have access to care may face language barriers with their health care provider or encounter a provider who is not culturally sensitive.

These barriers demonstrate the need for Latinas to engage in the current debate for health care reform. The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) supports healthcare reform that would move our current system toward one that will improve the health, and well-being of all Latinas, their families and communities. NLIRH embraces a human rights approach to health care, ensuring that all health services are accessible, available, affordable and of good quality for everyone, on an equitable basis, free from discrimination. Health care reform can take many paths, and it is important that the needs of all Latinas, including immigrant women, women of color and low-income women are front and center.

NLIRH demands comprehensive, quality and affordable care for all!