Report: One Million New Yorkers Are Without Insurance
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One million New Yorkers – or one in six adults – did not have health insurance in 2005, according to new data from the city’s Department of Health.
Overall, that figure represents 17% of the city’s adult population who are uninsured, compared to 16% of uninsured adults nationwide.
Among the city’s uninsured, there were 700,000 working adults who lacked coverage, the report found. One in five men was uninsured, and Hispanic adults were most likely among all New Yorkers to be uninsured, with one in four lacking coverage.
In New York, 286,000 uninsured adults fall below the federal poverty standard and may be eligible for free or subsidized health insurance.
Health officials expressed concern that uninsured individuals may not seek medical attention. “If you don’t have a regular doctor, chances are you’re not getting the care you need,” the city’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Thomas Frieden, said in a statement. According to the report, uninsured individuals were twice as likely not to fill prescriptions as those with coverage.
Health officials said among adults ages 18 to 64, 51% who were insured had their coverage paid for by an employer.
Among the uninsured, the age group that lacked coverage the most was adults ages 18 to 24. Health officials said 27% of adults in that age group lacked insurance, compared to 15% of adults ages 45 to 64 who were not covered.
