Eyes on 2014: Latinos at a Disadvantage in Obamacare Enrollment

The online enrollment process for Obamacare has been rife with problems since its launch in October and while millions have been affected, it seems Latinos are at an even greater disadvantage when they attempt to apply. Recent reports show that more than 1.2 uninsured Latinos don’t have access to Spanish language websites. Despite this, the Obama administration seems determined to improve outreach to Latinos throughout the country.

According to the Washington Post, 10 million Latinos are eligible for the public and subsidized health care options offered by Obamacare. However, Hispanic health centers and community centers said in July that there weren’t enough funds to carry out the sign-up process for those uninsured Latinos. Since then, efforts to promote enrollment among Latinos have been plagued with problems, frustrating the Latino community.

The Obama administration has been criticized for botching the roll-out of the Obamacare website and for the overall mess that enrollment has been for millions of Americans. Latinos have had their share of issues in enrolling, especially when it comes to the lack of Spanish language enrollment websites.

The main enrollment website, CuidadoDeSalud.gov, has not worked in the first weeks of open enrollment but is expected to receive a quiet launch after the main English website is fully fixed.

“We want the English language web page to be up and running and to be successful. Once we have that, then we want the Spanish language one to be up and running,” Jane Delgado of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health told the Associated Press. “People are frustrated when they can’t complete enrollment.”

Health and Human Services spokeswoman Joanne Peters told reporters that the Spanish language would be launched in early December, but given the delays in the English language site that could change. “We think it’s important to engage with key stakeholders and organizations in this process and get their feedback,” Peters told the AP. “We will ramp up our promotional efforts to drive Spanish speakers to CuidadoDeSalude.gov.”

While the administration works on fixing the Spanish language enrollment website, some think more effort should be put on increasing outreach to Hispanic communities.

Manuela McDonough, a program manager at NCLR, told the Washington Post, “We have a lot of catching up to do. Community health centers and Hispanic community organizations are underfunded and understaffed and they can’t dedicate the time to do the necessary outreach to the most vulnerable populations.”

McDonough said the White House’s “strategies and tactics for reaching Latinos is off.” She explained, “They’re doing an online campaign, and a lot of the Latinos we serve don’t have access to online services.”

The White House, however, seems determined to fix that. During a conference call with reporters last month, fellow Health and Human Services spokesperson Julie Bataille said HHS is “working with community organizations on the ground, making sure that consumers have access to people who can speak to them in their language in person in a way that they would understand.”

Bataille added, “Reaching out to members of the Latino community in particular is something that is top of mind for us.”