U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., brought together a panel of bi-lingual experts on September 5 to discuss health care reform and to address the health care concerns of Spanish-speaking Tucsonans. The forum, held at Sunnyside High School, remained free of the acrimony that has plagued other town-hall debates on the issue across the country.
Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, helped facilitate the forum, which featured Spanish-speaking medical professionals from the Tucson area and tried to address the unique health care needs of the Hispanic community. According to Organizing for America it was the first Spanish-language forum on health care reform to be held in the country.
Panel member Josefina Iturralde a breast cancer patient receiving chemotherapy said: “I have found, as many of you know, that these treatments are very expensive and my insurance does not cover all of the expenses.”
Iturralde’s story is not uncommon, but she, at least, had some medical coverage. In 2005 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 34.6% of Hispanics in Arizona did not have health insurance compared with 12.7% of whites. Overall, 20.7% of all Arizona residents in 2005 were without health coverage.
Grijalva’s panel sought to inform Hispanics about the various proposals for overhauling the country’s health care system. Grijalva, who has said he will continue to push for a health care reform plan that includes a public option, says that because so many Latinos are uninsured they are a group that could benefit greatly from a revamping of the health care system.
Iturralde was not the only attendee of the forum with a story of hardship. On Hispanic man stood and tearfully told of losing his job as an electrician and having no medical insurance for his family. Because his wife is still employed the family does not qualify for government aid. His story illuminates a wide gap in coverage nationwide where working families who do not qualify for federal assistance are unable to pay the expense of private insurance policies.
Since President Obama’s address to congress on September, 9 Grijalva has continued to pitch his support for health care reform that tackles not only the disparate proportion of low-income and Hispanic families without medical coverage, but also the contentious issue of illegal immigrants’ access to health-care the country. He says he will continue to push for a strong public insurance option.
- Story by Clayton Norman
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