LAS VEGAS, June 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — A new edition of Pfizer’s report on uninsured and underinsured Latinos – AVISO: An Update on the Hispanic Uninsured and Underinsured and How Pfizer Helps to Reduce Health Care Disparities – was presented today to attendees of the NALEO 32^nd Annual Conference.  AVISO, which summarizes data from the most recent public information available on insurance coverage, reveals that while Latinos have made great gains, 25-29.5 percent still remain uninsured and specific groups within the population remain particularly vulnerable.

With 54 million Latinos living in the US, this means that more than 13.5 million are uninsured.  Young, low-income, foreign-born, non-citizens and Latinos who live in states that did not expand Medicaid are more vulnerable according to the report. 

“We publish the report to alert and engage with Latino leaders on the challenges many Latinos face in getting access to health care and potential solutions to reduce health care disparities,” said Gary Pelletier, senior director of corporate responsibility and executive director of the Pfizer Patient Assistance Foundation.  “At Pfizer, we are committed to helping those who are uninsured or underinsured by providing our medicines for free or at a savings to eligible patients.”

According to the AVISO update 80 percent of uninsured Latinos are between the ages of 19-49 and 40 percent are under 35.  Six out of 10 uninsured Latinos have incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level.  Latinos who live in states that did not expand Medicaid are particularly at risk – 58 percent of low-income uninsured Latinos live in these states.  Foreign-born Hispanics are more than twice as likely to be uninsured than US-born Hispanics, with 39 percent uninsured versus 17 percent, and foreign-born Hispanics who are non-citizens have an even higher rate of being uninsured at 49 percent.

Pfizer works closely with organizational partners such as the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and the National Hispanic Medical Association to educate health care providers about its patient assistance resources.  It reaches consumers as well as trains community service providers and health advocates by working closely with groups such as National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and engages with policymakers on important health issues through organizations such as the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Pfizer to help our members stay current on the issues related to the Latino uninsured and to educate our community about the resources that are available to help gain access to the health care and medicines they may need,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO.

AVISO: An Update on the Hispanic Uninsured and Underinsured and How Pfizer Helps to Reduce Health Care Disparities was published by Pfizer RxPathways, the company’s patient assistance program, and Pfizer Corporate Affairs Multicultural Center of Excellence, a new centralized resource at Pfizer for external partners and Pfizer colleagues to assist with multicultural efforts.  During the past five years (2010-2014), Pfizer’s patient assistance programs have helped nearly 2.5 million uninsured and underinsured patients across the US receive over $7 billion worth of medicines for free or at a savings.  To request a free copy of AVISO, call 1-888-720-1337 or visit online at www.PfizerRxPathways.com.