Yesterday, President Barack Obama participated in a town hall meeting focusing on healthcare reform benefits for Latinos. The town hall was hosted by the Aseguragte campaign, a partnership of the California Endowment, Covered California and Spanish-language media outlets Univision, Telemundo and impreMedia.
Many attribute Obamacare’s low Latino enrollment rates to the fear of enrollees’ personal information being used against relatives who are undocumented and living in the United States. And with the large amount of deportations under the Obama Administration’s watch, the Latino community’s confidence in President Obama is a bit shaky regarding this issue.
“The main point that I have for everybody watching right now is, you don’t punish me by not signing up for health care,” Obama said. “You’re punishing yourself or your family if in fact there’s affordable health care to be had.”
The President also reassured the Latino community that signing up for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would not lead to deportations for any relatives who are undocumented and living in the United States. Furthermore, President Obama explained that there would be no data shared between the ACA and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“I think the community understands that I’ve got their back and I’m fighting for them,” Obama said.
Overall, the town hall meeting served as an opportunity for the President to connect with the Latino community and allow them to see the importance of having healthcare and signing up for the Affordable Care Act.
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