Georgia Hispanics Face Greater Difficulty Accessing Health Care Than Those in Other States, Report Finds
Hispanics living in Georgia have a more difficult time accessing health services than Hispanics in other states, in large part because of language and other barriers, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Council of La Raza, the AP/Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports. The report noted that immigrants in Georgia are more recent arrivals to the U.S. and that because Georgia traditionally has not had a large Hispanic population, it is not as equipped as other states to provide preventive health programs that are in Spanish and are culturally based. Hispanic immigrants in Georgia also mostly work in farming jobs, which usually do not provide health coverage. In addition, few immigrants live or work near a low-cost health clinic or a Spanish-speaking care provider. Most Hispanic immigrants in Georgia also do not have Medicaid coverage and are fearful of applying for public health insurance for themselves or their children because of new proof of citizenship laws, Andrea Hinojosa, who helped organize focus groups for the report, said. Overall, Hispanics are the least likely among all Georgia residents to have health insurance, and only 4% receive employer-sponsored coverage, mainly because of cost and a lack of understanding about how coverage works, the report found (Dell'Orto, AP/Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, 4/11).
The report is available online.