Fewer Californians Have Job-Based Health Coverage

A report released by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research reports that job-based insurance in California is rapidly deteriorating. The study, based on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, showed that over 6.5 million Californians under 65 were uninsured at some point during the year, a significant decline from 2001. Most of the working uninsured had no access to insurance coverage through work because their employers did not offer health benefits, or they were not eligible for benefits. Some of them could not afford the required employee share of the cost. The study also found that 60.8 percent of uninsured children are eligible for public programs, but only six percent of uninsured adults are eligible for them.