Why do Hispanics have so little employer-sponsored health insurance?
This paper investigates low rates of employer health insurance coverage among Hispanics using national data from the Community Tracking Study Household Survey. Interview language served as a proxy for the degree of assimilation. Findings indicate that English-speaking Hispanics are more similar to whites in their labor market experiences and coverage than they are to Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Spanish-speakers' very low human capital (including their inability to speak English) results in much less access to job-based insurance. Though less important, Spanish-speaking Hispanics' demand for employer-sponsored insurance appears lower than that of English-speaking Hispanics or whites. Results suggest that language and job training may be the most effective way to bolster Hispanics' insurance coverage.
Reschovsky
James D
JD
Center for Studying Health System Change, Washington, DC 20024, USA. jreschovsky@hschange.org
Hadley
Jack
J
Nichols
Len
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011050:Policy Making; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States