Study Profiles Uninsured Adults

Many of the more than 2 million adults in Los Angeles County without health insurance are ethnic minorities who do not receive medical care when they need it, according to a detailed telephone survey of county residents released Tuesday.

The vast majority of the uninsured population--88%--are working adults and their dependents. Many are Latino or Asian and live in low-income areas, although the problem is spread throughout Los Angeles, according to the survey of more than 8,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 64 conducted for the county Department of Health Services.

Although it has been noted that Los Angeles County has the highest uninsurance rate in the state, this is the first study to provide a detailed profile of the uninsured population by health district, said Michael Cousineau, a USC professor and county consultant.

“We really needed to identify the problem areas so we could figure out where to put clinics” and other resources, Cousineau said. He said follow-up studies are planned, including a look at the county’s children.

The problem is most concentrated in the central city, in such areas as the business district, Pico-Union, South-Central Los Angeles and Watts, as well as the east San Fernando Valley, Cousineau said. In some of these communities the uninsured rate exceeded 50%.

Among the study’s highlights:

* Nearly 60% of the uninsured reported difficulties obtaining medical care. Half of the uninsured have no regular doctor; even among those with diabetes, a third are not under the care of a physician.

* More than 40% of non-elderly adults in the county have been uninsured for some period during the past year.

* The percentage of uninsured adults is highest in ages 18 to 34.

* The working poor in Los Angeles County number 1 million adults. The high percentage of uninsured adults among ethnic groups suggests that many--especially Latinos--are employed in industries that do not offer health insurance as a benefit. Nearly half of Latino adults under 65 are uninsured, as are more than a third of Asians.

The $330,000 study was funded by the California Endowment and the state Department of Health Services.