More Free Covid Tests in the Winter. Buying Health Insurance: More Subsidies Now. Colorado’s Omnisalud.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 19
PROGRAM # 9858 12:00 PM PT

More Free Covid Tests in the Winter.

The Biden administration is again making COVID-19 tests available for free as part of a contingency plan as cases rise this winter. The four rapid virus tests per household are available through covidtests.gov. A new surge of cases is projected from indoor gathering and travel around Christmas and New Year’s. Also, antiviral Paxlovid treatment, which reduces hospitalizations, is more available for those who test positive for Covid, but many patients while eligible are not using them. These and other news are discussed in this edition.

Guest: Dr. Sergio Aguilar Gaxiola, Founding Director, Center for Reducing Health Disparities, UC Davis, Davis, CA.

Buying Health Insurance: More Subsidies Now. About 70% of Latinos work in an essential sector, and many remain uninsured. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, more people than ever are now eligible to receive more financial help to lower the monthly cost of health insurance and many may now qualify for premium-free insurance. Health care advocates are helping people understand their options and get ACA coverage before the Marketplace Enrollment deadline January 15.

Guest: Jeanette Contreras, Project Director, Health Equity Campaigns, UnidosUS, Washington, DC.

Colorado’s Omnisalud. More than 5,700 undocumented immigrants have enrolled in health insurance coverage in Colorado thanks to the state’s OmniSalud program. Almost all of the people who have enrolled qualify for subsidies to lower their costs in the state-run marketplace. How are immigrant families responding?

Photo: Annie Spratt vis Unsplash

For more information about Linea Abierta click here

To visit Linea Abierta audio archives go to archivosderb.org