McCollister KE, Arheart KL, Lee DJ, Fleming LE, Davila EP, Leblanc WG, Christ SL, Caban-Martinez AJ, West JP, Clark JE, Erard MJ
Declining health insurance access among US hispanic workers: Not all jobs are created equal. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]
Am J Ind Med 2009 Jun 29.
INTRODUCTION: 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. 2009 (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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