Health Care More Important to Latinos than the Economy

11/30/2009, by Proloy Bhatta

HIGHLIGHTS

• 32% reported health care, 30% identified the economy as biggest issue.
• Hispanics prefer some form of universal health insurance, 61% to 28%.
• 74% of Latinos support the public option.

The University of New Mexico polled 1,000 registered Latino voters and found that more latinos stated health care as the most important issue than the economy.

32% reported health care, 30% identified the economy—including jobs and
mortgage issues, 17% picked immigration as the biggest issue, while another 9%
identified the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In April 2009, a Latino Decisions poll found 56% of Latinos stated the economy
was the top issue, compared to just 6% who mentioned health care

Hispanics born in the United States indicated health care as even more important.

US born Hispanics identified health (37%), the economy (28%), and the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan (14%) as more urgent than immigration (7%).

Hispanics want universal health care.

Hispanics prefer some form of universal health insurance, even if it means
higher taxes, to the current system, 61% to 28%

And they support the public option.

The public option has robust support among Hispanic voters. 74% of Latinos
would “somewhat” or “strongly” support its inclusion in the final bill. This
number is significantly higher than in the nation as a whole (56%, CNN 11/15;
61% CBS, 11/16);