Disparities in Health Insurance and Access to Care for Residents Across U.S. Cities

Publication Date: August 2000

Publisher: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

Author(s): Stephanie Teleki; Roberta Wyn; E. Richard Brown

Research Area: Health

Keywords: health insurance; disparities; poverty level

Type: Report

Coverage: California

Abstract:

U.S. metropolitan areas are characterized by pronounced disparities in rates of health insurance coverage and access to care. While it has been well documented that people with lower incomes run a greater risk of being uninsured than those with higher incomes, this study also finds a strong relationship between a city’s rate of employer-sponsored health coverage and its overall rates of health coverage and access to care. We examined health insurance coverage and access to health care among moderate- and low-income, nonelderly residents of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.