Health Care in America is currently a patchwork of systems that tends to be reactionary and focused on the most acute health conditions and crises. This approach often leaves patients requiring expensive management in hospitals and leads to significant patient disability and death resulting in preventable and avoidable financial, emotional and physical hardship on families and individuals.

The California Latino Medical Association (CaLMA) Policy Committee believes a system that serves all Americans and that does not disenfranchise working individuals and families is sound and would benefit Latinos.

Health Care Coverage for all Americans is priority number one for CaLMA.

·If insurance is provided to impoverished and vulnerable populations, it should not rely on charity care from providers, clinics and hospitals to accept the insurance. Thus, the insurance should reimburse providers, clinics and hospitals at rates that cover the full cost of care. No insurance offered should rely on providers, clinics and hospitals to overcharge those with employer-based insurance, individual insurance or no insurance to subsidize those who have public insurance.

·Children should be prioritized as system rolls out (e.g., SCHIP).

·If impoverished working families in America are asked to pay a minimum monthly premium as a portion of their public insurance (e.g., SCHIP) coverage, shouldn’t people receiving Medicare also have some share of cost if they are not impoverished?

·All public health insurance (including Medicare) should be allowed to negotiate the cost of drugs like other private insurance companies, with savings put back into the system to cover more patients.

Finally, an important incentive for Latinos – who are often treated as “outsiders” in America - is Health Care that is delivered by a culturally and linguistically sensitive workforce and includes Latinos at every level and in every area.