WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The spread of Hispanics into smaller U.S. communities is having a negative impact on the group's access to healthcare, a new report says.
The uninsured rate for Hispanics in new-growth communities is now more than 30 percent -- a higher rate than in major urban centers -- according to a report released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
In smaller communities, where the healthcare system is not accustomed to dealing with a large immigrant population, the problem of uninsurance can be made worse, the report says.
In particular, less that half of the Hispanic population in new-growth communities lives with 5 miles of a community health center, an important source of care for individuals without health coverage, compared to 71 percent in major cities.
In addition, only half of Hispanics in new-growth communities live within 10 miles of a safety-net hospital, compared to 82 percent of those in larger cities.
And those who did manage to access care had a more difficult time overcoming language barriers to getting the care they needed, the report says. Physicians in new-growth communities reported more language difficulties with their Hispanic patients compared to physicians in major centers.
