Medicaid and SCHIP: Critical for Latino Families Facing Financial Hardship

Author:	Kara Ryan
Contact:	Kara Ryan
Date:	Apr 10, 2008
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Topic:	Health and Family Support
Policies:	Access to Health Insurance, Latino Children’s Health, The State Children’s Health Insurance Program

Summary

Hispanics are less likely than non-Hispanics to have access to traditional health insurance through the workplace, so public health coverage programs, such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), are critical for Latino families who would otherwise go uninsured. Medicaid and SCHIP connect nearly ten million Latinos – two-thirds of whom are children – with affordable health care services that are essential to maintaining good health outcomes. This fact sheet indicates that Medicaid will be more important than ever to low-income Latino families’ ability to weather an economic downturn without compromising their health or their finances.