Report advocates of tax cuts and efforts to increase enrollment in public programs as a way to increase health coverage among Latinos
Small business tax incentives, with the Spanish language and more specific health programs for Latinos, to reduce the uninsured rate among the population of Latin America, according to a report by the Latino Coalition, reports Houston Chronicle . According to the coalition, many Latinos are employed by small businesses that do not offer health insurance. Most American adults lack insurance coverage for the employer, the report said. Moreover, Latinos have the highest rate of uninsured people in all ethnic groups and one-fifth of Latino children are uninsured.Meanwhile, Latinos face a higher risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity than non-Hispanics. Government officials should consider these statistics to establish health programs, the study said. The group offers
tax incentives for small businesses to cut taxes by a dollar for every dollar contributed to a health savings account. It also calls for greater effort to enroll children in insurance programs in America with federal funds, such as Medicaid and SCHIP, and recommends increased funding for health centers in the community can provide, free or low cost health services areas with high populations of America.These strategies are feasible and accessible, said the Latino Coalition president Robert de Posada, adding: We are expecting people to act tired (Tran, Houston Chronicle, 14-09).The report is available online. Note: You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the report. Reprinted with permission from Kaiser Network. You can see the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, searchin the archives, or sign up for email delivery at Kaiser Network / daily reports / health policy. Kaiser Health Policy Report is published for the Kaiser Network Journal, a free service of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.