More Hispanics lack health insurance than any group in California
Friday January 24, 2003By 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.
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