15.5% of King County adults uninsured

Saturday, September 17, 2005

15.5% of King County adults uninsured
It's highest level since recording started in 1991

By JULIE DAVIDOW
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

The percentage of adults without health insurance in King County has reached its highest level in more than 10 years, according to a national survey that measures risk factors related to health.

Public health officials presented a report on the uninsured at a King County Board of Health meeting Friday.

About 190,000, or 15.5 percent, of county residents ages 18 to 64 are uninsured.

Following a five-year dip between 1997 and 2001, the rates of uninsured adults have been increasing for three years. In 1991, the first year information about insurance coverage was gathered, 9 percent of adults in the county were uninsured.

"These numbers are unacceptable," said Carolyn Edmonds, chairwoman of the board. Edmonds said she wants the board to discuss and consider specific policies to address the needs of the uninsured.

The report also found gaping disparities in health insurance coverage linked to income and race.

The largest percentage of those without insurance -- 41 percent -- has household incomes between $15,000 and $24,999. They often can't afford the increasingly expensive insurance packages offered by employers, or they're part-time workers who don't qualify for insurance through their jobs.

Adults in households earning $50,000 or more were 10 times more likely to have health insurance.

Latinos and African Americans had the highest rates, with 35.5 percent and 21.5 percent reporting no insurance, respectively.

There are also regional differences in health coverage: 13 percent of Seattle adults were uninsured, compared with 11 percent in northern King County and 7 percent in eastern King County.

The data are based on an annual, national telephone survey called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Charissa Fotinos, medical director for Public Health -- Seattle & King County, told board members about a homeless woman she treated recently at a public health clinic. The woman had early-stage cancer, but couldn't get the simple surgical procedure she needed at a hospital where she owed money.

After she was turned away, the woman became depressed and suicidal, Fotinos said.

"People who lack insurance delay care. They forgo care," said Fotinos, noting that finding specialized medical care, such as surgery, is often frustrating for those without insurance.

Other findings in the report include:

The uninsured were less likely to receive preventive care, such as cholesterol screenings, mammograms and screenings for colorectal cancer.

Three out of four of those who took the survey in Spanish had no health insurance.

41 percent of those without insurance said they didn't get the health care they needed, compared with 6 percent of the insured.

P-I reporter Julie Davidow can be reached at 206-448-8180 or juliedavidow@seattlepi.com.

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