Declining health insurance access among US Hispanic workers: not all jobs are created equal.
BACKGROUND
Approximately 18% of the U.S. population are uninsured, a proportion that may continue to rise, particularly among Hispanics, as the cost of medical care increases faster than the growth in wages.


METHODS
Health insurance trends were analyzed by race-ethnic category, and among Hispanic workers by occupation type and industrial sector, using data on employed respondents > or =18 years from 1997 to 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (mean annual n = 17,392, representing 123 million US workers on average over this 11 year period).


RESULTS
From 1997 to 2007, the relative decline in health insurance coverage for US workers was greatest among Hispanics (7.0%). Hispanic workers in the Construction and Services industries had the greatest overall decline in coverage (24.9% and 14.7%), as well as Hispanic blue collar workers (14.0%).


CONCLUSIONS
Hispanic workers in general, and those employed in blue collar, construction, and services sectors in particular, are at greater risk for poor access to health care due to a lack of health insurance coverage.
McCollister
Kathryn E
KE
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer, Miami, Florida 33136, USA. kmccolli@med.miami.edu
Arheart
Kristopher L
KL
Lee
David J
DJ
Fleming
Lora E
LE
Davila
Evelyn P
EP
LeBlanc
William G
WG
Christ
Sharon L
SL
Caban-Martinez
Alberto J
AJ
West
Jonathan P
JP
Clark
John E
JE
Erard
Michael J
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000639:trends; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult