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July 27, 2007
Los Angeles - As California's system of job-based health insurance continues to erode, low- and moderate-income workers are increasingly being left out, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. While a majority of Californians continue to get health insurance through their employer or that of a family member, researchers noted that job-based insurance is particularly declining among those living at or below the poverty level.
"As California's job-based health insurance system becomes less and less stable, low- and moderate-income workers are increasingly being left out," said the brief's lead author E. Richard Brown, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and a professor at the UCLA School of Public Health. "And this trend is increasingly driving those workers to take the risk of going without health insurance for themselves and their families."
Researchers found that job-based health insurance among California workers living below the poverty level fell from 19.1 percent in 2001 to 13.7 percent in 2005. The drop was even further for workers living just about the poverty level, going from 42.6 percent in 2001 to 33 percent in 2005.
The findings of the brief are based on data from the California Health Interview Survey data from 2001, 2003 and 2005. The full report is available on the center's website at www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu.
Other findings in the brief include:
- Partly because of the lack of availability of job-based health insurance, the working poor increasingly rely on public programs such as Medi-Cal. While increased enrollment in these programs has slightly offset the declines in job-based coverage, only the workers that meet Medi-Cal's stringent eligibility requirements can obtain it, leaving most to look elsewhere.
- Having access to job-based insurance is the most important determinant of whether employees are insured or uninsured. More than half of all employees without access to their own job-based insurance - 1.9 million in all - were uninsured at the time they were interviewed in 2005.
- Among the 2.3 million employees earning less than the minimum wage, only 42.2 percent have access to health benefits through their employer, and among those, only 70 percent participate in their employers' plans.
The report was funded by a grant from Blue Shield of California Foundation, with additional funding from The California Endowment and The California Wellness Foundation.
"This data dramatically highlights the need for comprehensive health reform now." said Blue Shield of California Foundation President and CEO Crystal Hayling. "Without substantial reform of our job-based coverage system, we will continue to see more working Californians going without health insurance. That is unacceptable."
Since it was first conducted in 2001, the California Health Interview Survey has been an essential tool for policymakers, researchers and health advocates, providing a detailed snapshot of the complex health needs of California's diverse population. The survey is a collaborative project of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the California Department of Health Services and the Public Health Institute.
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research was established in 1994 and is one of the nation's leading health policy research centers. It is also the premier source of key health policy information for California. Directed by E. Richard Brown, the center is based in the UCLA School of Public Health and is also affiliated with the UCLA School of Public Affairs.
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