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Latino Leaders Ask Congress to Act Now to Address Needs of Latino Community in Final Healthcare LegislationWASHINGTON --(Business Wire)-- Leaders of Latinos United for Healthcare (LUH), including Hispanic Federation, LULAC, NPRC, USHCC, National Hispanic Medical Association and Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), have sent a letter to Capitol Hill calling upon Congress to focus their attention and efforts on ensuring that the healthcare issues of Latinos are not overlooked in the final healthcare reform legislation. "For decades, every American has been anxiously awaiting the passage of quality and equitable healthcare reform. Today, as the President and Congress find themselves in a historic and promising atmosphere, it is important that they bear in mind the concerns of Latinos, the second largest population in the U.S.," stated Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez, President of the Hispanic Federation. "As a coalition, we support the President and Congress in advancing healthcare legislation but it must not come at the cost of excluding Latinos." LUH strongly urges Congress to take further action to ensure that the following priorities are addressed in the reconciliation process to be finalized in the coming days and weeks. These critical priorities include the following: Making health insurance affordable and better through a public option, incentives for small business and consumer protections; Health reform must eliminate the five year waiting period for legal residents to access Medicaid. Legal residents pay taxes just as U.S. citizens do, and therefore deserve to avail themselves of this critical coverage program when they fall on hard times; Ending discrimination against the Americans of Puerto Rico by ensuring their participation in the exchange and improving their access to Medicare and Medicaid, and ensuring that Latino citizens and legal residents don't face roadblocks to getting the services they help fund through their tax dollars; Health reform is no place for costly and ineffective verification requirements that prevent low income, elderly and minority American citizens and legal residents from accessing health insurance exchanges. "We know what the future looks like if we don't act," said League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. "Doing nothing will only prolong the crushing burdens the American people are facing under these jaw-dropping rate hikes. A study published Monday in the Journal Archives of Surgery found that when researchers took demographic and health variables into account, they found that Hispanics were less likely to be treated by high-volume surgeons in high-volume hospitals in four out of the 10 categories. This is not acceptable. We need healthcare reform now. If we act now, millions of lives will improve. Some will be saved. Many families and small business owners will have health insurance for the first time in their lives." "American citizens of the Territories continue to be an afterthought when it comes to equitable inclusion in current healthcare legislation, a discriminatory practice that Congress has a moral obligation to rectify," stated National Puerto Rican Coalition President & CEO Rafael A. Fantauzzi. "If Congress fails to do the right thing, it will force increased migration to the mainland, so that the burden of health care costs will continue to be shifted to states like Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. It's a case of fairness now or higher costs later," said Fantauzzi. "Despite the efforts that Latinos have made to shape and advance healthcare reform at every step of the process, national leaders stand ready to accept a reform plan that they know will hinder access to health insurance for millions of uninsured lawfully present Latino workers and U.S.-born children. We will not achieve true healthcare reform in the U.S. if this legislation continues to marginalize uninsured Latinos and immigrants, undermining access to the care that millions of Americans desperately need. With each passing day, Congress loses another opportunity to prove that it's fighting for all families, and instead just reinforces the notion that congressional leaders are dealing them away in the search for compromise. NCLR will continue to work toward achieving meaningful healthcare reform, but we cannot support a plan that worsens access to healthcare for the most vulnerable U.S. families," said Eric Rodriguez, Vice President of the Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). Milton Rosado, National President of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) added, "Impediments to health care for Latinos jeopardizes the health and economic advancement of all Americans, natives, citizens, immigrants, documented and undocumented alike. Health care coverage that ensures access for all people in the United States and the Territories is commonsense public policy. It is time for Congress to demonstrate that they will not let politics hijack the future of this nation and the well-being of millions of families that risk their lives and poverty if Congress shuts them out of health care reform." Latinos United for Healthcare (LUH) is a nonpartisan coalition of national, state and local Hispanic leaders and organizations that support the passage of significant healthcare reform that increases access to affordable, quality health coverage for all. For further information, please visit www.latinosunitedforhealthcare.org . |
