Still Much to Do to Ensure Reforms Reach All Who Need Coverage, Greenlining Institute Says

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – Today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding nearly all of the Affordable Care Act is good news for the African American, Asian American and Latino communities that have disproportionately lacked health coverage, policy experts at the Greenlining Institute said today.

“We are delighted that the Supreme Court did the right thing,” said Greenlining Institute General Counsel Samuel S. Kang. “Every day we wrestle with the reality that African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos are less likely to have health insurance than whites, and the Affordable Care Act is already helping to fix this massive problem. Over a million Californians have already benefitted from the law, including 400,000 low-income Californians who didn’t have coverage before but do now, and those numbers will continue to grow, here and nationwide.”

“But today’s good news doesn’t change the fact that much work still needs to be done to make sure that healthcare reform reaches all the communities that need it most,” said Greenlining Institute Health Policy Director Carla Saporta. “Officials implementing the health benefit exchanges in California and around the U.S. must redouble their efforts to reach out to small businesses that don’t yet know about the law’s benefits, as well as individuals who lack Internet access or who don’t read or speak English well.”