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Mitch Lewis:
How has health care impacted the Latino community?
Angeles Ortega:
Well, that is again an issue a lot of employees and a lot of the
employers and a lot of the jobs that Latinos tend to work at are
still not providing health insurance, either because they're not
working enough hours or because it's a contractor is paying cash
so they're not providing that. One of the biggest issues right now
is that we have a lot of moms who are pregnant, who don't qualify
for Medicare because of the legal status until the child is born.
So we're now providing prenatal care to moms because they may not
be legally in the country until the child is born, but then how
can you have a child to be a healthy child if you're not providing
prenatal care for the mom?
Mitch Lewis:
Well, once the child is born, how is childcare affected?
Angeles Ortega:
Well, childcare, well (laughs) again it's a big issue because we
don't have a affordable child care and that is good child care.
right now, a lot of the Latinos are relying really on other neighbors
and family members and friends who sometimes may not be prepared,
are not, you know, legally under the realm of a childcare provider.
they know that, they know the law pretty well so you are really
providing a substandard child care to your own child because if
you're making, you know, seven dollars an hour and you have to pay,
you know, tax after taxes and you're going to have to pay somebody
to watch your child, you're going to try to go the cheapest route
to have somebody to watch for your children because otherwise, the
money that you're bring home, it's going to be minimum.
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