Latinos have encountered unique barriers to gaining health insurance.

According to Anne Filipic, president of Enroll America, a national health care enrollment coalition, since the Latino uninsured rate was at a high rate prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and despite the gains in enrollment during the first two open enrollment periods, Latinos are still more likely to be uninsured than other Americans.

Taking into account the Urban Institute's report that 1 in 5 Latino adults are still uninsured, as of March 2015, and most are unaware of financial assistance, Filipic said there have been new efforts to connect with Latinos before the current third open enrollment deadline of Jan. 31, particularly in Florida, North Carolina and Texas. During a press call on Wednesday, Filipic also acknowledged that most uninsured Spanish-speaking Latino population preferred speaking to someone about receiving health insurance before actually enrolling. As a result, Enroll America has the Get Covered Connector to allow individuals to schedule a free appointment, in either English and Spanish, to ask questions prior to enrollment.

What the Health Secretary Said:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell also participated in the call. Before the third open enrollment period commenced, Burwell said approximately 70.6 million Americans gained health insurance, which includes four million Latinos, which helped bring the overall uninsured rate to all-time lows.

"The law," said Burwell, referring to the ACA, often referred to as Obamacare, "is also helping to bring down health costs for most families and taxpayers. Health care prices have risen to the lowest rate in five decades under the ACA," noting the Medicare spending was $360 million less between 2009 and 2003 than originally projected.

Despite some positives, Burwell also acknowledged there are still disparities affecting the Latino community, ranging from disproportional rates of asthma, diabetes and cancer. The HHS secretary said that with better medical access, annual checkups and diet counseling and many cancer screenings, "we can begin to close these gaps."

"In fact, thanks to the ACA, 8.8 million Latinos with private insurance now have access to expanded preventative services ... and all Americans can rest easier knowing that they won't be denied coverage for having pre-existing conditions or get dropped just because they get sick," said Burwell.

According to Burwell, as of Dec. 26, 2015, more than 8.5 million Americans have enrolled or renewed their coverage on Healthcare.gov, the federal health insurance marketplace for states that have yet to adopt a state-level exchange. And ahead of the Jan. 31 deadline, Burwell acknowledged "record-breaking activity" on the exchange, which included 11 consumers enrolling every seconds during the busier days. She noted last Dec. 14 saw the highest activity in its history with 600,000 signing up within 24 hours.

To further attract Latinos, Burwell said it's important to know there is financial help available to make health coverage more affordable, an improved Healthcare.gov website and there is bilingual service either in-person or via phone call.

Obamacare Repeal Vote

Following the call, the House of Representatives, led by Republicans, passed legislation (H.R. 3762) that would repeal the ACA on Wednesday. The bill's passage is the first time a piece of legislation to overturn the ACA passed both legislative bodies of Congress and will arrive at President Barack Obama's desk, where a veto is expected.

Burwell released a statement following the House bill's passage. She also noted Obama's intent to veto H.R. 3762, an action that "will protect Americans from going back to a time when they faced bankruptcy due to lifetime caps on coverage, could be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions or couldn't qualify for Medicaid coverage when struggling to make ends meet."

Burwell later added, "Unfortunately, today's partisan effort in the House of Representatives to repeal key parts of the ACA, along with its effective defunding of Planned Parenthood, does the opposite. It would roll back historic reductions in the uninsured rate, eliminate reforms that are helping slow health care cost growth and improve quality, reduce access to health care for women and families across the country, and deprive all Americans of the ACA's improved consumer protections no matter where they buy health insurance."

Based on HHS' analysis, 17.6 million people have gained health insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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