Currently, 25% of the people in the United States belong to a racial or ethnic minority community. It has been projected that by 2070, nearly half of the population will be made up of such groups ( Sorkin, 2016 ). This means that the country is becoming more diverse with time. In 2003, the Latin American population surpassed the African American one in size according to the United States Census Bureau ( Ramirez and Cruz, 2003 ). As a result, this group is considered to be the fastest growing in the nation and will make up about 29% of the United States population by 2070. While their number increases, Latinos still experience perverse challenges in health and welfare. Unless these problems are addressed and resolved, the long-term result in the form of a decline in the country’s health and economic stability seems to be unavoidable. The National Center for Health Statistics holds that the percentage of Latinos of all ages that have been determined to be clinically healthy is 9.6 ( Sorkin, 2016 ). Only one-quarter of Latinos below the age of sixty-five lack health insurance coverage of any form. However, only 40% of Latinos within this age limit receive employer-sponsored health coverage. This paper evaluates the disparities in health care for the Latino community and suggests appropriate strategies that may be adopted to address and resolve these issues.
Disparities in Health Care for Latinos
Access and Coverage
Latinos face significant challenges in accessing health care, and the availability of health care I often divided along racial and socioeconomic lines. While slightly more than 80% of adult Latinos are working, 22% of them live in poverty and only half earn more than $30,000 in a year (Valdez and Posada, 2006 ). Additionally, families in the United States which have low incomes have the lowest rates of health coverage from their employers. Latinos tend to work low-income jobs where they are less probable of receiving health coverage and other employee benefits from their employers. Currently, only two out of five Latinos get employee-provided health insurance. As compared to other racial groups in the country, Latinos have the lowest degree of insurance. They are three times more likely to be uninsured as compared to their white counterparts.
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Susceptibility to Some Diseases
One of the growing concerns facing Latinos is the increasing occurrence of diabetes. In the case of Latinos, the risk of diabetes is two times that of other racial groups in the USA, and it tends to appear at an earlier age. Additionally, Latinos have a higher risk of getting diabetes-related risk factors referred to as “metabolic syndrome,” characterized by a resistance to insulin, as well as high levels of lipids, slightly high blood pressure, and overweight (Valdez and Posada, 2006 ). The occurrence of overweight among Latin Americans has more than doubled over the past fifteen years. For example, almost a quarter of Latino youth are obese while one-third of Latino women are clinically obese.
Language and Health Literacy
Many Latinos face the challenge of accessing health care that is linguistically suitable for the rising number of patients with a narrow English language proficiency, together with limited levels of health literacy (Valdez and Posada, 2006 ).
Health literacy may be described as the extent to which an individual is able to get, process, and understand the primary health information they need to arrive at proper health decisions (Valdez and Posada, 2006 ). The level of education seems to be the main hindrance to health literacy of Latinos with almost one-third of this group reported to have not completed high school education, yet the overall educational achievement of other ethnic groups in the country are significantly high.
Recommendation
The proposal discussed in this section is that of the Latino Health Care Taskforce, which strives to initiate improvements in the health of the Latin American community in the United States.
Establish a National Strategic Action Plan for Latino health Improvement
The Taskforce suggests that for there to be an active National Strategic Plan for Latino Health Improvement, there is a need for coordination between relevant agencies and organizations (Valdez and Posada, 2006 ). This action plan would be aimed at assessing and reviewing every existing federal health care program serving Latino groups, redefining priorities, and appropriately rechanneling funds to optimize program efficiency and coordination.
Even though much of the planning portion of the initiative has already been accomplished as at now and more is currently underway, the need for the specific plans and objectives for Latino health has to be brought together as a pivot for strategic action (Valdez and Posada, 2006 ). Thus, the Taskforce holds that it is important to move forward given the accomplishments made so far. Additionally, any further efforts have to purposeful to achieve a measurable, action-inclined strategic plan to meet the health care requirements of the expanding Latino community in the country.
The Latino populace in the nation is the fastest growing in the country. However, only a small fraction of this community may be considered to be clinically healthy. Due to several reasons, there is evidence of disparities in health for Latinos. Some of the main disparities have been discussed in this paper for the purpose of understanding. It has been found that many Latinos face challenges in accessing health care and health coverage, and are often health illiterate. Additionally, there is a growing problem of diabetes and overweight among Latinos. To address and resolve these issues, the Latino Health Care Taskforce recommends the establishment of a National Strategic Plan for Latino Health Improvement. Such an action plan, if executed properly, would bring about the desired effect of improving the general health status of the Latino community in the United States.
References
Ramirez, R. R., & De la Cruz, G. P. (2003). The Hispanic population in the United States: March 2002 (No. 545). US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Economics and Statistics Administration.
Sorkin, D. H. (2016). Physical Health of Latinos. The Encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging .
Valdez, J., & de Posada, D. R. G. (2006). Strategies for Improving Latino Healthcare in America. The Latino Coalition .
