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Lack of insurance is often cited as a reason Latino residents have a harder time finding healthcare, but Blue Cross Blue Shield found that even Latino residents who have health insurance are less likely to have chronic health conditions under control.
Latino residents insured by Blue Cross are less likely to have colorectal cancer screenings, to have their high blood pressure or diabetes under control, and less likely to receive timely prenatal care and postnatal care than people of other races and ethnicities who have Blue Cross insurance. Adolescent immunizations was the only health measure among the six Blue Cross presented where Latino residents did better than other groups.
Representatives from the state’s largest health insurer shared some of the findings from the company’s first health care equity assessment of people with Blue Cross insurance with the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, or AMEXCAN, on Monday. Blue Cross representatives asked for insights into community health concerns and suggestions on how to best build community relationships.
North Carolina’s Latino residents are less likely than members of other racial and ethnic groups to have health insurance, and they get the least from the state’s health care system, according to a recent Commonwealth Fund report.
The Blue Cross findings show that Latino residents face barriers to healthcare even when they’re insured.
Through focus groups of Blue Cross members, the company found that a misunderstanding of health coverage was common across all groups.
Language barriers, mistrust of doctors, limited availability of community clinics, and a lack of primary care providers were identified as problems more often in Spanish-speaking focus groups than in others.
Participants in Spanish-speaking focus groups were more likely to say they were used to going to the doctor only when they were sick, said Eminet Abebe Gurganus of Blue Cross.
Juvencio Peralta, AMEXCAN executive director, said the insurer’s data mirrors information on healthcare disparities that his organization has collected over the last few years. AMEXCAN will talk about its findings at a Latino healthcare equity conference on Friday in Charlotte.
He invited Blue Cross to more in-depth discussions on how the insurer can build community connections and disseminate health information.
“North Carolina is behind in addressing health inequity,” he said.
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