Access to Health Care

Although this isn't a problem with the health of women, it can lead to health problems because many women can't get the right health services, medicines, and supplies when they need them. Some reasons include:

• They can't pay for it and don't have health insurance.
• They have no way to get to a doctor.
• They have physical limitations that make it hard to get to a doctor.
• They don't understand the language.

There are more uninsured Hispanic American/Latino women than any other race/ethnic group (30%), even though many of them are employed or live with someone who is employed. Only 26% have private health insurance, 27% receive Medicaid coverage, and 7% receive Medicare. This lack of insurance is due in part to the fact that Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanics to be employed in industries and jobs that do not provide health benefits. Also, within the various industries, Hispanics are less likely than non-Hispanics to be offered health coverage by their employers. Problems with language, transportation, child care, immigration status, or cultural differences act as further barriers to health care services. Lack of access to health care is a major barrier to early detection and treatment of breast cancer and cervical cancer, and one that many Hispanic American/Latino women face. Uninsured Hispanic women with breast cancer are more than twice as likely than other women to be diagnosed with breast cancer in the advanced stages of the disease. The disease is more difficult to treat successfully when it is diagnosed in its advanced stages, and survival rates are lower.

More often than any other group, Hispanic Americans/Latinos have no regular source of health care. In addition, the low incomes of many Hispanic Americans/Latinos, as compared to other groups, make it hard to obtain individual health insurance outside of employer- or government-sponsored plans. Even when they are eligible for Medicaid or state-sponsored child health insurance programs, many Hispanic American families fear that enrolling family members in such plans could be used against them when they apply for citizenship.