Odalys Avila’s job is finding answers—answers for families who are used to being told “no.”

"We do have a lot of clients who are undocumented, and so, when you're undocumented, unfortunately, you know, they don't qualify for anything," she said.

Avila works at Servicios de la Raza, a social services organization that serves Denver Colorado’s Latino community. She helps members of the community navigate different health systems and sign up for insurance, which gets complicated even if there are US citizens in the household.

"We do have some families who fear, 'if we apply for our kids or for my husband, how is that gonna, you know, affect me as an undocumented person?'" she said.

She sees firsthand how that uncertainty turns into real health complications.

"Not being able to cover medications or not being able to get preventative care and then coming at the last minute, looking for some sort of assistance because you know, now they have these like major health issues that they need to get taken care of," Avila said.

According to 2020 US Census Data, the Hispanic population is the least insured in the country: 18% of Hispanic people of all ages in America were uninsured, compared to 10% of Black Americans and 8% of white Americans.

By age groups: 25% of working-age Hispanics and 9.5% of Hispanics under 18 were uninsured.

"Families are in a really tough spot to decide: do I get healthcare for my child who needs a transplant or do I make sure that we can stay in the United States and not go back somewhere that we had to flee because of violence?" said Rayna Hetlage, senior policy manager at Colorado’s Center for Health Progress, an organization that helped get bills turned into law that allows health insurance access to undocumented immigrants and low-income people.

"When the Affordable Care Act was passed, concessions were made to get it to passed and some of those concessions were things like leaving out DACA recipients, leaving out undocumented immigrants from having any access to coverage," said Hetlage.

A new law will expand Medicaid and CHIP coverage to undocumented pregnant people and children in 2025, and beginning next year, state funds will be able to help qualifying residents who are a certain level below the federal poverty line purchase insurance.

Advocates, like Rudy Gonzalez of Servicios de la Raza, says these solutions are necessary to level the playing field for low-income members of his community.

"We're going to be able to get them insured. I mean, that's the biggest part of this new law," he said.

Several states like California, New Jersey, Texas, Michigan, and New York have worked to create similar solutions, like expanding Medicaid access to undocumented children and pregnant people, with more reaching out to Colorado.

"We've had conversations with other states who are really curious to hear what we're doing here," said Hetlage.

For Avila, she hopes the more access increases for low-income or undocumented folks across the board, the more people will see the need that exists.

"I hope that they support future laws that are possibly put in place. I hope they support this law and this program to be expanded," she said.

When you think of Mexican food, perhaps, tacos and burritos come to mind.

But there's a specific type of dish that is such a delicacy and it comes from Michoacán, Mexico.

In Milwaukee, you'll find murals, parks and carnitas Don Lucho.

It's been around for 10 years.

"Everything is fresh here we're all like family, even the workers," the manager said.

"I brought this from Mexico. They showed me when I was about 10 years old," owner Jose Luis Mejia said.

Mejia goes by the name "Don Lucho."

He's from Michoacán.

"It's the state most recognized for carnitas," Meija said.

He created a special recipe for tasty carnitas or pork tacos.

"There are different seasonings but you have to make sure it's authentic," Meija said. "The flame has to be just right, then you stir and keep adding meat."

The process is long. The meat cooks for about 2 hours.

Then it's chopped and ready to serve.

"It's like an art," Meija said.

Customers have options, too: Carnitas or cuero — the skin.

Meija said in Mexico it was too difficult to start a business so he came to the United States, received immigration amnesty and opened his shop.

"The flavor that we give us authentic, the flavor. It's really doing something unique," the manager said.

On any given weekend, Meija said he sells about 2,600 pounds of carnitas.

"I am very humble, but it makes me happy when I see a crowd of people gathered at my restaurant," he said.

Meija said his customers are not only from Milwaukee but surrounding areas as well.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Hearst Television celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by sharing stories about the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. We’re speaking with community leaders, activists and elders to talk about their heritage rooted in Latin American countries.You can watch all of our conversations with these Hispanic and Latino American community leaders below. Boston, MassachusettsIn 2014, Berklee College of Music formally launched Berklee Latino to elevate the education, awareness and appreciation of Latin music and its cultural impact on the world. Internationally renowned musicians travel from all over the world to Boston to perform with a carefully curated group of musicians from the school. It's part of the college's Latino program, led by four-time Grammy winner Oscar Stagnaro."When I moved to Boston -- this is funny -- the first gig, I was playing country western music," Stagnaro said.Read more about the Berklee Latino program's story here.Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaThere's no shortage of ethnic food options in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but Edgar Alvarez says that wasn't the case when he first came here. Alvarez brought something to Pittsburgh that he said was missing: authentic Mexican food. Now he has the best tacos in the city — but his journey is about more than just food. When Alvarez cooks tacos, he's pouring his heart and soul into every meal."You have to put a lot of love in what you are doing," he said. "If you don't do your stuff with love, it's not going to work."Read more of Alvarez's story here.Albuquerque, New MexicoHispanic Heritage comes in many forms. Activist Dolores Huerta says it goes back generations in New Mexico. She spent more than 50 years organizing peaceful demonstrations in the U.S. Huerta advocated for farmworkers, immigrants and women in the United States. The outcomes were not always peaceful."I was badly battered. I had my ribs broken, pulverized my spleen, and I almost died for doing a peaceful protest," Huerta said.Read more of Dolores Huerta's story here.