At seven million, California has the most uninsured residents of any state. California also has the seventh largest percentage of uninsured under 65, according to a report by the California HealthCare Foundation. Many of the state’s uninsured are employed. The percentage of residents who get coverage through their jobs has dropped from 63% in 1988 to 54% in 2012. While public insurance has mostly offset this gap, one in five remains uninsured.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will reduce the number of uninsured residents in California, but a significant number will be left behind. The following are key findings:
• One in five Californians is uninsured. The rate among those who work is even higher at one in four.
• Sixty-two percent of uninsured children in California are in families in which the head of the household worked full-time during 2012.
• Employees in businesses of all sizes are more likely to be uninsured in California than in the rest of the United States. In businesses with fewer than 10 employees, 40% of workers are likely to have no insurance.
• Nearly one-third of the uninsured in California have annual family incomes of $50,000 or more.
• Nearly 60% of the state’s uninsured population is Latino.
For more information, visit www.chcf.org.
