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Declining health insurance access among US hispanic workers: Not all jobs are created equal
Author(s) -
McCollister Kathryn E.,
Arheart Kristopher L.,
Lee David J.,
Fleming Lora E.,
Davila Evelyn P.,
LeBlanc William G.,
Christ Sharon L.,
CabanMartinez Alberto J.,
West Jonathan P.,
Clark John E.,
Erard Michael J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20720
Subject(s) - medicine , national health interview survey , health insurance , ethnic group , health care , demography , environmental health , population , gerontology , economic growth , sociology , anthropology , economics
Approximately 18% of the U.S. population are uninsured, a proportion that may continue to rise, particularly among Hispanics, as the cost of medical care increases faster than the growth in wages. Methods Health insurance trends were analyzed by race–ethnic category, and among Hispanic workers by occupation type and industrial sector, using data on employed respondents ≥18 years from 1997 to 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (mean annual n = 17,392, representing 123 million US workers on average over this 11 year period). Results From 1997 to 2007, the relative decline in health insurance coverage for US workers was greatest among Hispanics (7.0%). Hispanic workers in the Construction and Services industries had the greatest overall decline in coverage (24.9% and 14.7%), as well as Hispanic blue collar workers (14.0%). Conclusion Hispanic workers in general, and those employed in blue collar, construction, and services sectors in particular, are at greater risk for poor access to health care due to a lack of health insurance coverage. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:163–170 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.