With Latino healthcare enrollment lagging below goals, organizations are looking for any way they can think of to encourage those still uninsured to get the necessary coverage.

Further frustrating the matter is the fact that Latinos, as a readily definable demographic, are far more likely to be eligible for subsidies than most groups. Mayra Alvarez, associate director for the Office of Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the Public News Service that 80 percent of Latinos would be eligible for some kind of subsidy if they enrolled.

But numbers are still low among Hispanics.

For their part, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) hosted a forum for Latino community members in the nation's capital on Thursday to promote enrollment in the programs available under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The NCLR was joined in the effort by the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) and La Clínica del Pueblo (LCP). The LAYC made its facilities available for the event, and LCP provided certified navigators to counsel attendees on the process and the various benefits available through the ACA.

Many in the community are not aware that there are now free health screenings for chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease that are more common among Latinos than other groups.

"As we celebrate ACA Latino Week of Action, we want to encourage young Latinos in our community to serve as important conduits of information to their families and to actively provide assistance by helping to guide those who might be intimidated by the online enrollment process," said Alejandra Gepp, Associate Director of NCLR Institute for Hispanic Health in a statement. "As the most uninsured group in the nation, we want to encourage Latinos to take full advantage of the resources and assistance at their disposal to be able to make an informed and timely decision about their family's future healthcare."

With a lack of literature in Spanish, as well as a lack of Spanish-speaking counselors cited as some of the projected reasons for low Latino numbers, organizations like NCLR are stepping up in their efforts to fill the void between the goals for Hispanic enrollment and the actual numbers that are being reported.