UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

U.S. metropolitan areas are characterized by pronounced disparities in rates of health insurance coverage and access to care. While it has been well documented that people with lower incomes run a greater risk of being uninsured than those with higher incomes, this study also finds a strong relationship between a city’s rate of employer-sponsored health coverage and its overall rates of health coverage and access to care. We examined health insurance coverage and access to health care among moderate- and low-income, nonelderly residents of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.