No matter who you are, or what you do, we can all agree that we want what’s best for Wisconsin’s kids. Access to health coverage is a critical piece of the puzzle to set children up for success. A recent report from the Georgetown Center for Children and Families (GCCF) and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) found that we’re making significant progress in helping all kids, and particularly Hispanic children, get health coverage.

According to the report, the U.S. reached a historic low in uninsurance rates for Hispanic children in 2014 – 9.7 percent. Researchers attribute part of the nation’s success to implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) including the expansion of Medicaid coverage.

While there are gains to applaud, the report also highlighted severe health inequities in our state and across the country. The uninsurance rate for Wisconsin’s Hispanic children (9.3 percent) was more than double the rate of uninsurance for all children in the state (4.4 percent). Wisconsin’s neighbors, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan all have uninsurance rates below 5% for Hispanic children, which further illustrates the fact that Wisconsin still has room for improvement.

The researchers found that states that expanded Medicaid for parents had a larger decline in the rate of uninsured Hispanic children compared to non-expansion states. That can be attributed in part to the fact that parents who enroll in Medicaid are more likely to sign up their children.

WCCF sees this as even more evidence in support of accepting Medicaid expansion dollars here in Wisconsin. The federal money would make health insurance more affordable for Wisconsin families, and help even more parents and children get the coverage they need.

A new report by Citizen Action of Wisconsin, which focuses on the participation of adults in Marketplace insurance plans, found that while Latinos/Hispanics have benefited greatly from the Affordable Care Act, many are still uninsured. The report found that Wisconsin’s eligible adult Latino population lagged behind other populations in our state when it came to 2014-2015 Healthcare.gov enrollment. The report notes that polling last year found that a quarter of Latinos were unfamiliar with the health insurance marketplace. The Citizen Action analysis found a wide variation (0% to 44%) in the reduction of uninsured Latinos by county.

We need to work together – with legislators, health advocates and community members – to help all families learn about and enroll in coverage options, so we can begin to close this gap.

Learn more and read the full study here: “Historic Gains in Health Coverage for Hispanic Children in the Affordable Care Act’s First Year.”

Sashi Gregory and Jon Peacock