Latest Obamacare Headache: Low Hispanic Enrollment

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Latest Obamacare Headache: Low Hispanic Enrollment
Internal emails also reveal serious concerns with website

(Washington, D.C.) – According to press reports, health insurance enrollment under the Affordable Care Act is lagging in the Hispanic community. This is occurring despite the longstanding focus of the Obama Administration on boosting the enrollment of Latinos. But in fact, frustration is growing about the ineffectiveness of outreach to Latinos in general. While English-speakers continue to deal with enrollment on the Healthcare.gov website that often fails, there is no online enrollment option for the Spanish-speaking community – and no timetable for providing one either. Despite this failure, the White House continues to insist on imposing a tax penalty on people who do not purchase federally-approved insurance.
 
Separately, the release of emails regarding Healthcare.gov raises new questions about the decision to launch on schedule. As early as July of this year, it was clear to those overseeing the site that there were serious problems. One senior official warned, "the build appears to be way off track and getting worse," and noted the small number of developers working on the site. It is not clear why such warnings were not heeded.
 
Jose Mallea, National Strategic Director of The LIBRE Initiative released the following statement:
 
"There are compounding serious problems with the health care law – problems that require a response from the White House. Insurers and state officials are warning that the 'fixes' being contemplated are unlikely to work. The website seems unlikely to be ready by November 30 as anticipated – two months after the supposed launch date. Millions of people are losing insurance, while others are losing access to doctors and hospitals. Yet, all the while knowing that much of this fallout would occur, the White House stubbornly insisted on moving forward.

This is a mistake. And people recognize that it's not working as more and more Americans oppose the government intervening in their health care. It's time for a new approach. It's time for accountability."
 
Learn more about "The Accountability Project" campaign and LIBRE's efforts to keep elected officials accountable for supporting the flawed Obamacare law that is causing families everywhere to lose their current health care plan and lose their full time jobs. They are elected to make the right decisions for the people – let's keep them accountable.

For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact: Judy Pino, 202-578-6424 or Brian Faughnan, 571-257-3309.