Latino Health Disparities and Healthcare Reform

Here are some statistics to carry in your pocket for health care reform reference. They come from a recent report from the Center for Disease Control specifically about health disparities among racial groups. It’s not surprising to think that Latinos would fare worse than other groups despite the vaunted Latino health paradox and the overwhelming youth of the Latino population. Here are the CDC’s most prominent findings, from a report in Fox News Latino:

• Hispanic girls (77.4 per 1,000 females) were three times more likely than whites (26.7) to end up pregnant, and somewhat higher than blacks (62.9).
• Mexican-Americans have the least success in controlling high blood pressure – even though it is blacks and whites that have the highest high blood pressure rate.
• Hispanics account for one-third of the population that is uninsured – and they tend to live in some of the most polluted and contaminated areas.
• Asthma rates were higher among Puerto Ricans (18.4 percent) than any other ethnic groups (non-Hispanics blacks had a 14.6 percent rate and among non-Hispanic whites it was 8.2 percent.)

You may want to toss these numbers into the fray when debating sex education, funding for preventive heath care and affordable insurance.