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NEWS FROM CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE

Harvard Researchers at Cambridge Health Alliance Find Extensive Differences in Health Insurance Coverage for Latino and Asian Subethnic Groups

- LATINOS MORE LIKELY TO BE UNINSURED -

Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville, Winthrop, MA… Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) announced today that its Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research (CMMHR) released a study in the current issue of the journal INQUIRY about the challenges that face Latinos and Asians living in the United States when pursuing health insurance coverage.

Entitled "Health Insurance Coverage for Vulnerable Populations: Contrasting Asian Americans and Latinos in the United States," the study concluded that socioeconomic factors are not the only obstacles facing Latinos and Asians regarding acquisition of health insurance coverage. Extensive differences exist in coverage among Latino and Asian subethnic groups, with Latinos overall more likely to be uninsured. The group most likely to be uninsured among Latinos are Mexican Americans, and among Asian Americans, Vietnamese Americans. Potential explanations include the type of occupations available to Latinos and Asians, reforms in immigration laws, length of time in the U.S., and regional differences in safety net coverage.

The study finds that limited English proficiency impacts access to health insurance, especially for Latinos. Providing Spanish-language application forms for public programs may help eliminate barriers to coverage for Latinos. Particular Asian subgroups, such as Vietnamese Americans, are as likely as Latinos to be uninsured. The study data indicate that states with generous safety net programs protect Latinos and Asians against poor insurance outcomes.

"This is a significant issue," said Margarita Alegría, PhD, Director of CHA's CMMHR and a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. "The more insurance carriers understand about these statistics and the variation between each ethnic subgroup, the more they will be able to amend health insurance policies and thereby address gaps in coverage."

The CMMHR study presents analysis based on data taken from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), whose principal investigators were Dr. Alegría and David Takeuchi, PhD, a professor in both the Department of Sociology and the School of Social Work at the University of Washington. Interviews were conducted in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Vietnamese to ensure that participants were interviewed in their native language. Participants included in this particular study were between the ages of 18 and 64 years of age.

Authors of the study, which was published in the current issue of INQUIRY, were Dr. Alegría, Zhun Cao, PhD, associate director for methodological affairs at CHA's CMMHR and an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Thomas G. McGuire, PhD, a professor of health economics at Harvard Medical School; Victoria D. Ojeda, PhD, MPH, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School; Bill Sribney, MS, a senior statistician at Third Way Statistics; Meghan Woo, McS, a research assistant at the CMMHR and a doctoral student at the Harvard School of Public Health; and Dr. Takeuchi, a professor in the Department of Sociology and in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington.

INQUIRY, the journal of health care organization, provision, and financing, is a peer-reviewed scholarly publication. Now in its 43rd year, it is published quarterly by Excellus Health Plan, Inc., and provides a thoughtful forum for the communication and discussion of relevant public policy issues. More information is available at www.inquiryjournal.org.

Cambridge Health Alliance, a regional health care system with three hospitals and more than twenty primary care practices throughout Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston's metro-North communities, is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. It also includes the Cambridge Public Health Department, Physician's Organization (CHAPO), and Network Health, a managed Medicaid plan.