Health & Welfare | Daily Report

Flickr photo by Toddhealthinsurance

Drops in income and job-based health coverage left 24 percent of Californians uninsured last year, according to estimates by UCLA researchers. The number of uninsured residents younger than age 65 was even higher in 37 counties.

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research estimated how many non-elderly Californians were uninsured for part or all of last year. It also estimated rates of health coverage through employers or public programs for all of 2009. The figures are based on unemployment rates and the 2007 California Health Interview Survey.

The study, released yesterday, found the highest rates of uninsured residents in Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley and the Northern/Sierra region.

Los Angeles County had the highest number of residents without insurance, at 2.7 million people, or 28.9 percent of the population. It also had a relatively low rate of job-based coverage, at 43.3 percent. Overall, half of California received health insurance through their employers.

In four counties – Shasta, Merced, Madera and Imperial – more than 30 percent of residents lacked insurance. Compared to the rest of the state, residents in these areas were less likely to have employer-based coverage and more likely to be enrolled in public programs such as Medi-Cal or Healthy Families.

Residents in the Bay Area and Central Coast, on the other hand, had the lowest rates of being uninsured and the highest rates of employer coverage. On average, 19 percent of residents in these areas lacked insurance, and more than 60 percent received job-based coverage. Researchers attributed these figures to the regions' low unemployment rates.

Overall, Americans report that they've had difficulty paying for health insurance or services in the past three months, according to survey results released yesterday by Thomas Reuters.

The Thomas Reuters survey found that consumers' confidence in their ability to access, use and pay for health care services had fallen to its lowest in July, representing a 5 percent drop since December, when it began tracking the data.

Going forward, the survey found, consumers said they were most worried about having to delay or cancel elective surgery. Respondents also reported concerns about having to delay or cancel a physician visit, and they showed a greater belief that they would have difficulty paying for health insurance or services.