UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

This policy brief examines the health disparities that low income nonelderly adult women in California encounter across a wide range of measures. Specifically, the authors examine health status and functioning, health risks, gaps in access to health care and health services, insurance trends and other topics of concern. The research finds that even though they are a younger population than women with higher incomes, low-income women have worse general health status and functioning. And mid-life, low-income women have a higher prevalence of three of the four chronic health conditions examined—diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Prevention practices, the expansion of insurance coverage and the waiver of out-of-pocket expenses and premiums are among the policy recommendations.