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More Hispanics lack health insurance than any group in California
Friday January 24, 2003
By CARRI KARUHN
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) More Hispanics lack medical insurance and
report being in fair or poor health than any other ethnic group in
California, according to a study released Friday.
The report by the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California says
Hispanics comprise about half of the 4.5 million Californians under
age 65 who lack health coverage.
In addition, 28.7 percent of Hispanic adults perceive their
health as being fair or poor, compared to 13 percent of whites and
20.8 percent of African-Americans, the report says.
``We definitely need more access to health,'' said Lia Margolis,
president and CEO of the coalition. ``And that's not just health
care in the traditional sense but health promotion, health
information and ways that Latinos can stay and be healthy.''
Many Latinos work for companies and organizations that do not
provide medical coverage, said Dr. Michael A. Rodriguez, associate
professor of family medicine at the University of California, Los
Angeles and an author of the study.
The report also blames low incomes and immigration status for
the lack of insurance. More than one in three Hispanics or 3.2
million people live below the federal poverty level in
California, making it less likely they can afford out-of-pocket
health care coverage.
About 43 percent of Hispanics in the state do have health
insurance through their jobs, compared to 76 percent of whites and
61 percent of African-Americans.
The coalition based its report on data contained in the 2001
California Health Interview Survey, which queried 55,000 households
between November 2000 and October 2001.
The survey, conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy
Research, is one of the largest of its kind nationwide. It covers a
broad range of public health concerns.
Margolis said her organization plans to lobby for improved
health care on behalf of the Hispanic community and ask state
legislators to consider the ramifications of any possible cuts in
MediCal.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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