KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - The number of uninsured adults in King County has increased sharply and has reached record highs, with the highest rates among the near poor and people of color, states a new report released today by Public Health - Seattle & King County at the King County Board of Health meeting.
“The health care system is facing tremendous challenges. We need coordinated action by the local, state and national government to combat this worsening crisis in health care access,” said King County Board of Health Chair and Councilmember Carolyn Edmonds. "The working poor are too often one serious illness or injury away from financial ruin, or worse. We must improve access to health care."
“This is a disturbing trend that I find unacceptable,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “I will continue to support Public Health’s efforts to increase access to preventive and high quality health care for all King County residents. We need the attention of our state and federal health care policy makers in order to correct this deplorable situation.”
“Today, being employed does not guarantee health insurance coverage since increasing costs of health care make coverage less affordable for workers and companies,” said Sims.
In King County, among adults between the ages of 18 and 64:
-
- 15.5%, or about 190,000 people, did not have health insurance in 2004
- the sharp increase in the uninsured follows a decline from 1995 to 2001
- four in 10, or 42%, of the near poor (household income between $15,000 and $24,999) were uninsured
There are very significant disparities by ethnicity and race:
-
- Latinos have the highest rate of non-coverage, at 36%
- 22% of African Americans are uninsured, as are 21% of American Indians/Alaska Natives
- 13% of Asian/Pacific Islanders are uninsured
- 10% of whites are not covered
- By far the highest rates of non-coverage are among Latinos who took the survey in Spanish; their uninsured rate is 73%.
“We are extremely concerned about these findings because we know that health insurance has a direct impact on people’s health,” said Dorothy Teeter, Interim Director and Health Office for Public Health -
Seattle & King
County
. “Those who lack health insurance receive less timely, preventive care, in addition to less care for chronic and acute health problems.”
The report also found that lack of health insurance is a barrier to obtaining adequate and needed care.
Adults who lacked health insurance are almost seven times more likely to have not received care they felt they needed.
Uninsured adults are almost twice as likely to miss colorectal and mammography screening guidelines.
The complete Public Health report, “The Uninsured in King County, 1995-2004,” can be viewed at www.metrokc.gov/health/datawatch
There are also geographical differences in
King
County
. Though rates countywide are increasing, average rates from 2002 to 2004 show that south King County has the highest rates of uninsured at 18%, compared to Seattle with 14%, north King County at 12%, and east King County with 9%.
At today’s King County Board of Health meeting, David Solet of Public Health’s Epidemiology, Planning and Evaluation Unit presented this new report. The meeting featured a panel discussion with Johnese Spisso, Chief Operating Officer of Harborview Medical Center, a representative from the Governor's Office, Dr. Charissa Fotinos, Medical Director for Public Health - Seattle & King County, Rosemary Aragon, Executive Director of the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority, and Susan Johnson, Manager of the King County Health Action Plan at Public Health - Seattle & King County.
Public Health – Seattle & King County is among the largest metropolitan health departments in the country, providing effective and innovative health and disease prevention services that achieve and sustain safer and healthier communities for over 1.8 million residents and visitors of King County . Answering the needs of an increasingly diverse population, Public Health - Seattle & King County touches people's lives every day through health promotion and prevention activities, disease surveillance, health care, outreach and referral services, environmental health services, emergency medical care, jail health services, and readiness and response to public health emergencies.
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