Despite gains in the number of Californians with health insurance in l999, large ethnic and racial disparities in health insurance coverage remain among people of color compared to non Latino whites, according to a new study released March l by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

The State of Health Insurance in California: Recent Trends, Future Prospects find that while a booming economy helped trim the number of Californians without health insurance in l999, 22.4% of the state’s non elderly residents still lacked health coverage. Those numbers remain even higher for the state’s ethnic and racial minority communities. There has been little or no increase in overall health insurance coverage for California’s minorities since l994.

23% of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders lacked health insurance in l999 compared to non Latino Whites (l3%), and l5% of Asian American and Pacific Islander children were without health insurance in l999, more than double their white counterparts. Within the Asian American population, uninsured rates were higher among Koreans (45%), Vietnamese (29%), and Chinese (28%). The Filipino and Japanese populations fare better, with rates of uninsured at l6% and l8% respectively. Other racial and ethnic groups also have high rates of uninsured. 36% of Latinos and 22% of African Americans were without health insurance in l999. Latino children also have the highest uninsured rate (28%). 25% of African American children lack health insurance.

The disparities in coverage are reflected in the lower rates of job-based insurance among racial and ethnic minorities. 63% of Asian American and Pacific Islanders had job-based insurance in l999 as compared to 72% of the non Latino White population. The Filipino and Japanese populations have relatively high rates of job based insurance with rates of 72% and 7l% respectively. Job-based insurance rates for other population groups are lower. 60% of Chinese, 40% of Korean, 48% of Vietnamese and 55 % of Pacific Islanders had job-based insurance in l999. While job-based insurance for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has risen from 52% in l994, health insurance coverage provided through Medi-Cal or the Health Families Program declined from l8% to 7%. As a result, the percentage of Asian American and Pacific Islanders with health insurance coverage remains relatively unchanged since l994.

"Though there is notable improvement in California’s employment-based coverage, this study makes it clear that people of color, the working poor, and those unable to work continue to be at highest risk of being uninsured," says Gary Yates, president and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation. "The lack of coverage has significant implications for the health of the state’s resident and vitality of the health care system."

To improve health insurance coverage for all Californians the report recommends that the state simplify the application process and expand outreach to California residents who are eligible but not enrolled in Medi-Cal and the Healthy Families Program. The report’s authors also recommend expanding the Healthy Families Program to cover parents up to 250% of the federal poverty level, which could cover up to 5l8,000 uninsured parents.

"It’s very cleat that the expanding economy is not going to expand health insurance coverage for the millions of working Californians who are now uninsured, particularly the state’s ethnic and racial minorities," said E. Richard Brown, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy research.

The State of Health Insurance in California: Recent Trends, Future Prospects was funded by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation. The report is the fifth in an annual series detailing the status of public and private health care coverage in the state.