Study: Many lack health insurance

Elia Powers

Costa Mesa has the third-largest population of adults without health

insurance in Orange County, a recent report shows.

The city has an estimated 22,238 uninsured residents above the age

of 18, according to data from the Orange County Health Needs

Assessment, a nonprofit agency that studies health-related topics.

Only Santa Ana and Anaheim have more uninsured adults, the report

indicates. Newport Beach and Newport Coast are at the bottom of the

list, with 1,365 and 1,166 uninsured adults, respectively.

“We are looking at common-sense data,” said Pamela Austin, chief

executive officer of Orange County Health Needs Assessment. “Cities

that have pockets of low-income residents will be more likely to be

the ones high on this list.”

The study, conducted every three years, is based on a random

sampling of more than 3,000 Orange County households and follows

guidelines used by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the health-needs assessment agency first began collecting

data seven years ago, the number of county residents who are without

any type of health insurance has dropped by more than 100,000 people.

Austin said the most recent numbers are surprising to her,

especially considering that this is the first survey to reflect

post-Sept. 11 data. She said she expected the lagging economy to lead

to a drop in those who are insured.

“We are still seeing an improvement, and we’ll be happy when all

people have coverage,” Austin said. “The message to policymakers is

‘We are on the right track. But we aren’t there yet.’”

Added Dr. Mark Horton, deputy agency director for public health

services for the Orange County Health Care Agency: “There is lots of

good news. Particularly for children -- there’s been a significant

decrease in those who are without insurance.

“It’s still a mixed bag, though. We still see plenty of children

who are uninsured.”

Austin mentioned increasing publicity for public programs such as

California Healthy Families, which provides low-cost insurance to

children and teenagers up to 19 who meet program rules and don’t

qualify for Medi-Cal.

Orange County Health Care Agency is partnering with Orange County

Health Needs Assessment for a program called Children’s Health

Initiatives.

Horton said the focus is on trying to identify children who are

eligible for state programs and the estimated 15,000 youth who do not

qualify.

According to the study, between 11% and 16% of children in Costa

Mesa under the age of 18 are without health insurance -- the

fourth-highest total in the county.

For working adults, Austin said the main issue is employers’

inability to offer them healthcare coverage. Between 2003 and 2004,

the cost of providing healthcare rose by 11.3%, the survey shows.

Mirna Burciaga, owner of El Chinaco Restaurant and a Costa Mesa

community activist, said she would like to give her employees health

insurance but cannot because of the high cost.

“It’s very expensive for employers to provide people with care,”

Burciaga said. “I’ve been looking into different kind of plans. There

has to be something affordable for families.”

Ed Fawcett, Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce President, agrees.

“I would encourage all businesses to look at options,” he said.

“There are other services that provide healthcare to low-income

individuals.”

The study also revealed that more than half of the uninsured

adults and about three-fourths of the uninsured children were Latino.

According to the report, Latinos comprise nearly one-third of the

population of Orange County.

That figure isn’t surprising to Fawcett.

Costa Mesa “has a diverse population,” he said. “There’s a large

Westside population that works in the service industry that mostly

doesn’t provide health opportunities,” Fawcett said.

Other data trends:

* Overall, 10% of adults age 18 and over are without any form of

primary healthcare coverage in Orange County. The figure is higher

for dental and vision coverage.

* Countywide, 20% of young adults (18 to 24) and 5% of children

(17 and under) are uninsured. Only 2.2% of seniors (65 and over) are

uninsured.

* Almost 44% of uninsured adults lived in households with an

annual income of less than $25,000.