Universal health care has been a dream for many Americans for a very long time. All of that changed when Obama signed the affordable care act into law on March 23, 2010 and was upheld by the Supreme Court on June 28, 2012.
While the US is still in the implementation phase of Obamacare, the future of the program as well as the future of healthcare in the US seems as though it will depend on one major factor: Hispanic enrollment. Right now the primary targets for Obamacare, as well as the largest beneficiaries of the program, are the millions of uninsured Americans. In 2012, there were an estimated 50 million uninsured Americans, but out of this group, approximately 1/3 were Hispanic. There are a variety of reasons for this unfortunate statistic. In the US Hispanics have accepted more contractor positions, work in more demanding environments or are simply taken advantage of. However, after all this time the US finally has the chance to fix this social injustice and bring healthcare to everyone.
For any system of universal healthcare, the premiums are determined by the number of enrollees. The idea is that the more people enroll, the more costs are subsidized by everyone. However, what this means is that for Obamacare premiums to be affordable in the future, Hispanics must be encouraged to enroll. Fortunately for us, Hispanics currently stand to gain the most by enrolling in Obamacare. They are the most uninsured group in the US, but they are also the youngest group and stand to gain most of the benefits. First, it is risky to live without health insurance in the US because non insured costs are extremely unaffordable, but along with that, many Hispanics in the US work in physically demanding jobs. Currently, there are few options for an uninsured American who suffers a work-related injury. Secondly, young enrollees are essential for the program to succeed. The general idea is that younger participants require less medical expenses than older people. The more young people that enroll, the cheaper the premiums will be. Given these two reasons, it is expected that Hispanics will be the most targeted group to enroll in Obamacare, and they are the group most likely to join.
Access to healthcare is a basic human right in this day and age. Every country in the world has some form of universal healthcare regardless of their national wealth. America has been at the forefront of revolutionary ideas for a long time, but one thing I thought we have always missed out on is universal healthcare. It may take some time before Hispanics become the largest group in the US, but they are needed right now for our future to be secure.
thewanderingaustinite 