Thousands of Hispanics will have access to health care with the new US law

• Around 700,000 Latinos will have better access to health care.
• The Inflation Reduction Act «will expand health insurance coverage for Latino families.»
• In addition, the plan will lock in lower premiums, keeping them below $50 a month for many.

The Inflation Reduction Act signed on Tuesday by the US President Joe Biden, will ensure some 700,000 Latinos have health insurance next year, the White House said in a statement, according to EFE.

The legislative package will «lower health care costs, including prescription drug costs, and expand health insurance coverage for Latino families,» the US government said in a statement. The plan, approved by Congress on August 12, will reduce health insurance premiums to $50 or less per month for the 80% of Latinos who do not have health insurance.

New law provides lower cost health care for Hispanics

Latinos in the US have more difficulties in accessing health care than white Americans: only 18% of Hispanics in the country have health insurance, compared to 34.3% of the non-Latino white population, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The law also seeks to especially benefit Latinos over 65 years of age who access health care through the Medicare program. The package provides a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs and will allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. Latinos over the age of 65 are twice as likely to have trouble paying for prescriptions compared to older white adults, according to HHS. Filed Under: Hispanic Health Coverage

80% of uninsured Latinos will pay under $50 for coverage

The Covid-19 pandemic lowered the number of Hispanics with health insurance in the US — 37% of Latinos reported that they, or a member of their household, lost health benefits provided by an employer during 2020, according to a report from the Brookings Institution.

Biden described the Inflation Reduction Act as «one of the most important in the history». With it, he seeks to emerge stronger ahead of the November mid-term elections. “Democrats voted to cut the deficit to fight inflation by making the wealthy and big corporations pay a fairer share, while all Republicans opposed requiring big corporations to pay a minimum 15% tax,” he pointed out at an event at the White House. Filed Under: Hispanic Health Coverage

Will the Inflation Reduction Act be enough for Biden?

The Inflation Reduction Act is a star project and, to make it clear, Biden will tour the country in the coming weeks to explain the advantages of the law, which aims to reduce inflation in the midst of rising prices due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

In addition, on September 6, Biden will organize an event to celebrate the passage of the fiscal, health and environmental package, approved on August 12th by Congress and which has numerous long-term investments. Filed Under: Hispanic Health Coverage