Unequal Access: Insurance Instability Among Low-Income Workers and Minorities

Analysis of health insurance coverage and employment patterns from 1996 through 1999 reveals even higher uninsured rates and greater insurance instability among low-income adults and minorities than had been previously documented. Most low-income adults worked during the four years, but many had no or only intermittent job-based coverage. Low-income Hispanic adults were particularly hard hit: more than one-third (37%) of this group were never insured with private coverage, even though they worked all four years. Policies that expand coverage to low-income families could help reduce racial and ethnic disparities in access to care.