This policy brief from the Texas Health Institute highlights the importance of designing health insurance exchanges through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to reach racially and ethnically diverse communities in order to achieve the goal of expanding health insurance coverage to the uninsured. Of the estimated 24 million expected to purchase health insurance through the exchanges, 42%, or 10 million individuals, will be from racial and ethnic minority populations. One in four will speak a language other than English at home and will likely need language assistance and translated written materials. The policy brief provides recommendations on how health insurance exchanges can ensure that these racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse populations can be effectively reached and can successfully utilize the exchanges to purchase health insurance coverage for themselves and their families.
Ignatius Bau 