Latinos make up a large and growing segment of the US population, while also having lower rates of health insurance coverage than other racial and ethnic groups within the US context. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and, in particular, the ACA’s Medicaid expansion significantly altered the policy terrain in practical and research terms. Estimates are that, as of 2017, as many as four million non-elderly Latinos gained insurance coverage who did not have it prior to the policy’s enactment. Yet Latinos remain least likely to be covered by private insurance, and many are ineligible for government health subsidies or programs due to their residence in states that did not participate in the expansion of Medicaid, as well as the status of a segment of this population that is undocumented. Such data also shows that Hispanic youth are more likely to lack coverage compared to their peers. Despite much discussion and debate about a Latino epidemiological paradox, there are also significant health inequities experienced among Latinos in regard to specific health issues, such as HIV diagnoses, being less likely to have a usual source of care, or living in a household that is food insecure. In addition, because the Latino population is heterogeneous in many ways, ranging from national origin, immigrant status, economics, educational attainment, and more, it is often difficult to speak in sweeping generalizations about Latinos’ views and experiences with health care and health policy. Race, ethnicity, and interlinked notions of deservingness figure prominently in contemporary debates about health reform measures. And Latinos, especially via the frequent conflation of Latinos with immigrants, have often taken center stage in these discussions among policymaking elites and the broader public alike. The intersections of these various factors mean that Latinos’ health and well-being are impacted significantly by health policy making: what happens in national health policy matters to the Latino community. Additionally, while Latinos live in every state in the nation, Latinos’ concentration in states such as California, Texas, New Mexico, New York, and Florida mean that state-level policy actions can also have a significant impact on coverage rates and outcomes. Health policy is also affected by Latinos: images and narratives of the Latino community, and especially its immigrant segments, can shape the broader health policy terrain. The materials in this bibliography tend toward the contemporary moment and recent publications; the reader will note that while a piece may be situated in one substantive category, many of the materials also have clear utility to several of the other substantive sections. I would like to acknowledge the substantial contributions to the project of Noelle A. Chin for her work assisting me in gathering the relevant research literature.
Rising Food Insecurity and Conservative Policy in the US: Impact on the Elderly