The health insurance status of US Latino women: A profile from the 1982-1984 HHANES.

OBJECTIVES: This research studied the correlates of health insurance status among three major subpopulations (Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban) of adult (ages of 20 to 64) Latino women. METHODS: Data from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES), 1982-1984, were examined to determine the percentages of health insurance coverage among the sample populations and to assess the relationship between access to coverage and selected sociodemographic employment/income, ancestry, and acculturation variables. RESULTS: Variations in health insurance coverage existed by Latina subpopulation. While Puerto Rican women had the highest percentage of any health insurance coverage, Mexican-origin women (particularly those 50 to 64 years old) had the lowest. For all three Latina groups, health insurance coverage was greater among those who reported a family income above the poverty level than among those whose income fell below the poverty level; employment location, acculturation variables, and ancestry were also related to coverage. CONCLUSIONS: Eligibility requirements, particularly for Mexican-and Cuban-origin women, need to be streamlined, and innovative health insurance programs need to be developed to increase access of Latinas to health insurance.