SAN DIEGO: Job-based health coverage – the bedrock of the US health insurance system – is fractured and uneven throughout California and particularly scarce in some of the state’s largest and lowest-paying industries, a new study reveals.

“The Working Uninsured,” a study by the Center on Policy Initiatives found wide disparities in job-based health insurance coverage among California's 17 major industries.

Overall, less than half of working adults in the state get health insurance from their jobs. In some of the largest and lowest paying industries, the rate of health coverage is much lower -- in the hotel and restaurant industry, for example, it's only 20%.

The erosion of employment-based health coverage leaves almost 5 million California workers dependent on publicly funded health programs or completely uninsured, according to study results. Other major findings include:
  

• More than two-thirds of uninsured adults in California are workers.
• Some of the state’s largest industries cover less than half of their workers (Accommodation & Food Service, 20%; Administrative Support 28%, Construction, 35%, Retail Trade 40%).
• Only 3 major industries cover more than 60% of their workers: Education, Information and Public Administration. 
• Low-wage workers, who are the least able to afford medical expenses on their own, are least likely to have employer-provided health coverage.

 
The report concludes that public policymakers at all levels must ensure job growth improves access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance. State legislation must require an equitable contribution from all employers that is adequate to fund quality healthcare coverage for all workers.

The full report and further information is available on the Center on Policy Initiatives website. CPI is a non-profit research and advocacy organization in San Diego.

Download: The Working Uninsured