California Children in Working Poor Families More Likely To Be Uninsured, Study Finds
Children in families considered working poor in California are more likely to be uninsured than those from other households, according to a study published this month in the journal Medical Care, News Medical reports.
The study -- led by Sylvia Guendelman, professor of health policy and management at the University of California-Berkley School of Public Health -- analyzed data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey on 16,528 children age 17 and younger whose parents' work status and income information were included in the data.
The study found that:
- About 20.4% of children in working poor families were uninsured in 2001, compared with 32% in 1994;
- About 7.9% of children from poor families and 3.8% of children from families that were neither poor nor working poor were uninsured in 2001;
- About 10.9% of children in working poor households did not have a regular source of health care in 2001; and
- About 3.9% of children in nonworking poor households did not have a regular source of health care in 2001.
She added, "Our results are showing that there has been quite a bit of improvement since Healthy Families began. But as health care costs go up, and the California budget is decreasing, we're seeing a lot of talk about either halting new enrollment or somehow pulling back the program" (News Medical, 1/4). An abstract of the study is available online. This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.