YES on PROPOSITION 79

Latino Access to Prescription Drugs:
Mo re Chronic Conditions, Less Access

Prescription drugs allow people to live healthier, fuller lives and remain productive in the workplace. They can make a world of difference for people who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease or depression. Yet, prescription medications remain unaffordable for too many Latinos in California.

Latinos Suffer from Chronic Illness at Higher Rates than Others

• • Latinos are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes as non-Latino whites, and type-2 diabetes is becoming more common among Latino children and youth. (JAMA, 2002)

• • Twenty-five percent of Latino high school students meet the criteria for clinical depression, compared with 18% of African Americans and 12% of whites. (Health Issues in the Latino Community, 2001)

• • The prevalence of AIDS in the Latino community is four times greater than in the white community.

• • Chronic illnesses prevalent in the Latino population, such as diabetes, depression, asthma, and cardiovascular disease, often coexist in the same patient and are often under-treated. (Am J Med. 2002; Lancet. 2003)

• • An estimated 500,000 Latino children in the United States have asthma which may require daily prescription medine. (JAMA, 2002)

Latinos have Less Access to Prescription Medications. While Latinos are more likely to suffer from chronic illness, they are less likely to receive the medications necessary to treat illnesses and other chronic conditions.

• Latinos are less likely to receive or use needed medications, including drugs for asthma; cardiovascular disease; HIV/AIDS; mental illness; or pain due to fractures, surgery, and cancer. (Annals of Internal Medicine, 1997; American Journal of Psychiatry, 1984)
• People of color in general receive less intensive pharmaceutical treatment than the nation as a whole, including fewer adolescent and adult vaccinations, less drug therapy for pain, fewer drugs for HIV/AIDS, and fewer antidepressants. (N Engl J Med. 1994, 1999; JAMA. 1998, 1999; Ann Intern Med. 2001)
• Despite a higher incidence of asthma, Latino children are less likely to receive prescriptions to help manage and control their asthma. (Archives of Internal Medicine, 1998)

Advances in Medications are Less Likely to Reach Latinos.

• Research shows that oftentimes Latinos aren’t prescribed the newer, more effective antipsychotic agents compared to their white counterparts. Older medications often cause more side effects than their newer counterparts. (American Public Health Association, 2002)
• Although depression is a serious problem, Latinos do not always receive the most advanced medications, but rather are prescribed the older antidepressants that have worse side-effects. ( Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 1999)

Fewer Latinos Have Health Coverage. Although Latinos are more likely to work, they are the least likely to have employer-based care. (Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1999)

• One-third (32%) of Latinos are uninsured compared to 11% of non-Latino whites. ( U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2003)
• More than one-third (38%) of Latino children between the ages of 0 to 17 are uninsured. ( UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 2003.)
• One-third of uninsured Californians report not filling a prescription because of cost. (The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2000)
• 26% of Latinos who have at least 1 chronic condition are unable to fill a prescription because of cost, compared to 17% for whites. (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005)
• 43% of Latinos have employer-based coverage compared to 76% of whites. ( UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 2003.)

Elderly Latinos Have Difficulty Getting Prescription Drugs.

• One-third (31%) of elderly Latinos with chronic illness have prescription drug coverage compared to 52% of whites. ( Georgetown University Center on an Aging Society, 2003)

• Older Latino patients receive fewer pharmacy services compared with non-Latinos, including delivery of medications, medication counseling, and written information leading to medication errors and ineffective treatment. ( Journal of Rural Health, 2003)

Proposition 79 Links:

Full text of Prop. 79
Prop. 79 fact sheet
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
Comparison of Prop. 78 and Prop. 79
Myths and Facts About Prop 79
Watch "The Constant Gouger" trailer
Prop. 79 and 78 downloadable material