New Resource Will Help California Spanish-speaking Businesses Navigate Affordable Care Act

USA - English

• Latin America - español

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Law Guide for Business, with the support of California's leading Hispanic business organizations, today announced the launch of a new Spanish-language website aimed at providing accurate and easy to understand information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Tailored specifically for the Hispanic business community, Health Law Guide for Business en Espanol will help Spanish-speaking employers navigate new benefits and provisions under the health care law with one simple website: www.HealthLawGuideForBusiness.org/espanol. 

Launched with the support of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, Central California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, South Bay Latino Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chambers of Commerce San Francisco and Camera de Negocios Mexico Americana, Health Law Guide for Business en Espanol addresses the needs of California's Spanish-speaking business community.

"Health Law Guide for Business en Espanol is a comprehensive and useful website designed to provide current information on the Affordable Care Act for California's Spanish-speaking employers. The Hispanic business community will now have access to the information needed to ensure they are able to take advantage of new provisions of the law for themselves and their employees," said Maria Luisa Vela, President of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. "Health law Guide for Business is a resource they can use to prepare for what will have the greatest impact on their bottom line."

Similar to the Health Law Guide for Business website launched in February 2012, this website also separates the most significant information Hispanic business owners need to know about the health care law. Developed to fill the void of credible and up-to-date information on the law in Spanish, Health Law Guide for Business en Espanol houses fact sheets, online resources, a frequently asked question series and information on California's new insurance marketplace, Covered California. 

With a law that includes as many levels of benefits, complexities and details as the health care law, it's understandable that many California employers remain confused about what the law means to them. According to a report by Pacific Community Ventures, Health Care and Small Business: Understanding Health Care Decision Making in California, minority business owners are not only the hardest small business population to reach, many lack knowledge about the Affordable Care Act and how it can make health care more affordable. But once informed they are eager to learn more. 

Hispanic business owners' understanding of the Affordable Care Act is fundamental to the successful implementation of the law. Nearly 60 percent of California's 7.1 million uninsured population is Latino, comprising the single largest group of persons newly eligible for expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The health care law supports investment efforts and policies that promote community-wide prevention. For this reason, Hispanic employers are a critical part in ensuring a truly healthy California.

"The Affordable Care Act is dedicated to improving the health for Latinos in California, providing high quality health care and prevention services for all," said John Hernandez, CEO of the Central California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.  "We know that health happens with prevention, and the health law provides benefits that encourage business owners to support the health of their employees and families. Health Law Guide for Business en Espanol provides resources to accomplish just that."

As California continues to move forward with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, it is important that all Californians understand changes under the law, including the state's Hispanic employers.  

About Health Law Guide for Business:
Health Law Guide for Business– established by the Bay Area Council, California Chamber of Commerce, California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, California Small Business Development Center, Pacific Business Group on Health, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Small Business Majority, Small Business California, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, The California Restaurant Association and The California Endowment – is a first-of-its kind website devoted to informing California's business community about business-specific provisions of the health care law.  As an information hub for California businesses, the media and employees, the website provides accurate information on the health care law that's most important for employers to run and operate their businesses. Join more than 700,000 businesses to learn more by visiting: www.healthlawguideforbusiness.org. 

About The California Endowment
The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, The Endowment has regional offices in Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno and San Diego, with program staff working throughout the state. The Endowment challenges the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people's health. The Endowment believes that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention. For more information, visit The Endowment's homepage at http://www.calendow.org.

SOURCE Health Law Guide for Business