This report from Families USA, the American Diabetes Association, the American Lung Association, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Council of La Raza, the National Medical Association, and the National Urban League Policy Institute describes the importance of the current Medicaid program for African Americans and Latinos with acute and chronic health care needs. The unprecedented collaboration among these national minority organizations and leading national voluntary organizations such as the American Diabetes Association and American Lung Association in issuing this report reflects how important Medicaid is to blacks and Latinos.
Among blacks with cancer, more than one in five (21.9 percent), or nearly 141,000, rely on Medicaid coverage. Among blacks with diabetes, nearly one in four (24.4 percent), or nearly 778,000, rely on Medicaid coverage. Among blacks with chronic lung disease, well over one-third (37.0 percent), or more than 1.4 million, rely on Medicaid coverage. Among blacks with heart disease or stroke, more than one in five (21.6 percent), or nearly 1.9 million, rely on Medicaid coverage.
Among Latinos with cancer, nearly one in four (24.5 percent), or nearly 105,000, rely on Medicaid. Among Latinos with diabetes, more than one-quarter (25.6 percent), or more than 692,000, rely on Medicaid. Among Latinos with chronic lung disease, nearly two in five (39.8 percent), or nearly 1.4 million, rely on Medicaid. Among Latinos with heart disease or stroke, nearly one-quarter (23.2 percent), or more than 1.4 million, rely on Medicaid.
Ignatius Bau 