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Paul Ortiz: We Must Ensure Latinos Have Better Access to Healthcare

gnvsun1Paul Ortiz: We Must Ensure Latinos Have Better Access to HealthcareThe Gainesville Sun, by Paul Ortiz, February 2014.

In this editorial published in the Gainesville Sun, Dr. Paul Ortiz, director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and associate professor of history at the University of Florida, details problems associated with healthcare access in the Latino community, including language barriers and hostility from state officials, media pundits and vigilante groups that discourage many from enrolling in state exchanges under the Affordable Care Act.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the provisions of the ACA, the prospect of maintaining the status quo where millions of people do not have decent access to medical care undermines the well being of not only Latino families, children and communities—but the public health of the entire society.

-Paul Ortiz

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