Historic Turnaround in U.S.-Cuba Relations – For the first time in more than half a century, the president of the United States and the president of Cuba announced they will begin talks to reestablish diplomatic relations. President Obama said it was time to finish a policy toward Cuba that he qualified as a strategy that has failed in its mission to promote U.S. interests. As part of the agreements, both countries exchanged prisoners: Cuba freed contractor Alan Gross, and the United States three Cubans who were jailed under charges of spying. On the national talkshow Línea Abierta, we spoke about this historic announcement with Cuban sociologist Nelson Valdes, Emeritus Professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuqerque. Here are a few of his words.
From the Operating Room to the Health Insurance Marketplace – A Latino family in Southern California decided to pay the fine instead of buying health insurance during the first year of the Affordable Care Act. But when Mrs. Chavez had an emergency, she had to travel to Mexico to receive healthcare, where she had an unwanted surprise. As soon as they returned home to California, the Chavez family enrolled in a health plan through Covered California, to make sure they are covered from now on. Our correspondent Rubén Tapia prepared this feature, which is narrated by Jorge Ramírez.
Migrant Workers Face Obstacles to Receive Social Security Benefits – The millions of social security dollars accumulated every year when people pay their taxes in the United States rarely make their way to the hands of Mexican migrant workers who spend long periods of their lives contributing to the country’s economy and then return to live in their motherland. Mexican workers and their families face long, costly application processes that do not apply to migrant workers from other countries. Vladimir Flores reports from Juxtlahuaca, Oaxaca, a rural town in the mountainous Mixteca region, with a lot of migration to the United States. This report is part of the series “Voy Contratado: Migrant Rights”.
