As the Supreme Court considers striking down the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, Latinos in 34 states could lose access to healthcare. Of the 9.3 million people that would lose benefits if the law is curtailed, 1.2 million are Latinos, according to a statement from the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA).
“This will have a particularly devastating impact in the Latino community, where we have worked so hard to bring down the number of uninsured,” said Hector Sanchez, the NHLA Chair.
One in four Latinos are currently uninsured, more than any other ethnic group. According to the National Council of La Raza, Latino children are twice as likely as white children to be uninsured. The results of all those statistics? Less doctors visits and worse health outcomes. hispanic advocates warned that overturning Obamacare could make matters worse
“Millions of Latinos and others will be competing for health care at clinics, hospitals and medical practices with dwindling charity care -- and more likely, will go without needed health and mental health care in our communities, spreading more infectious diseases,” said Dr. Elena Rios, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association, in the same statement.
Yet advocates might be jumping the gun based on the questions coming from conservative Justices during oral arguments. The Supreme Court, which met on March 4th, appeared divided as they heard oral arguments in King v. Burwell, the case that will determine the future of Obamacare. Questions from conservative judges seemed to indicate that even if the sided with the plaintiffs, they might give states without exchanges the chance to reconsider offering one.
"Would it not be possible, if we were to adopt petitioners' interpretation of the statute, to stay the mandate until the end of this tax year, as we have done in other cases where we have adopted an interpretation of … a statute that would have very disruptive consequences?" Alito said.
Republican leadership also announced that they “formed a working group to propose a way out for the affected states if the court rules against the administration.” They did not share any details of the “secret plan,” to quote the famous line from the show The West Wing.
All four liberal justices on the court seemed sympathetic the the government's case that the law was intended to cover all Americans. At least one Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, attacked the standing of the plaintiffs, charging that most of them were eligible for other healthcare programs such as Medicaid and Veteran’s benefits. Despite being unaffected by the mandate, they may propel its undoing.
The Court’s decision is expected in June. In the meantime, medical professionals advised patients to get all the healthcare they can, and plan for the worst.
"I would advise patients in this boat to schedule a visit with their primary care provider as soon as they can to set up ‘transition plans,’” said Dr. Jeff Huebner, a family doctor in Madison, Wisconsin, one of the 34 states, in an interview with Reuters.
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