Latinos of all ages were the least insured group in the U.S. last year, according to census data released this week.
By the numbers: 24.9% of working-age Hispanics and 9.5% of those under 18 lacked health coverage in 2020.
- The uninsured rate was greater for Hispanic men than for Hispanic women, at 19.9% and 16.6% respectively. Both those rates were 1.8 and 1.2 percentage points higher than in 2019, per the data.
- In past polls the high cost of health insurance and ineligibility for Medicaid were mentioned as the two most common reasons people of all races and ethnic origins lacked health coverage.
- Census data also shows that U.S. Hispanics had a median income of $55,321 in 2020, under the $67,521 average for all races and ethnic groups in the country.
- The number of Latinos living in poverty also increased 17%.
Bottom line: Lacking insurance can create unsurmountable medical debt for treatment, and can discourage people from going to a doctor or hospital, even during a pandemic.
- “I survive little by little, getting checkups only when I have enough saved up to afford them,” Ernesto Vargas tells Noticias Telemundo.
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