E-Shopping for Health: Issues for Latinos Using the Health Insurance Marketplace

Abstract

Health care in the United States is undergoing a radical restructuring, mandated in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), designed to improve access to care and increase the efficiency of our health care system. Key features include a revamped health insurance market and increased reliance on electronic technologies for buying insurance and tracking patient care. One goal of these changes is to reduce the unequal burden of disease carried by low-income racial/ethnic minorities. However, the long history of racial/ethnic health disparities in the United States raises concern for how diverse populations will be affected by these innovations. Applied anthropologists are well equipped to produce knowledge and insight to inform how changes are enacted and to maximize positive impact for vulnerable populations. Employing a holistic framework and an in-depth data collection strategy, anthropologists are especially adept at uncovering the insider's perspective. This adds important insight and nuance to understandings of how the ACA's health care innovations affect specific groups.