About one million adult New Yorkers lacked health insurance in 2005, though 70 percent of them were employed, the city's health department said on Wednesday.
The report, Health Care Access among Adults in New York City, suggests that the lack of coverage was especially severe among young adults, Hispanics and men.
More than one quarter (27 percent) of young adults aged between 18 to 24years old lacked health insurance, compared to 19 percent of adults aged 25 and older.
One in four Hispanics lacked insurance, as did one in five Asians, one in six blacks, and one in 10 whites. One in five men lacked health insurance compared to one in eight women.
Fortunately, some of those lacking insurance have not exhausted all their options. The report estimates that up to a quarter of the city's uninsured may be eligible for benefits they were not claiming.
Meanwhile, the report finds that one in five New Yorkers - including 600,000 people with health insurance - lacked a regular doctor in 2005.
"If you don't have a regular doctor, you're not getting the care you need," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City Health Commissioner.
"This report tells us that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are missing out on routine screenings that could prevent illness and save lives. All of this adds up to the people landing in emergency rooms with costly, devastating health problems that could have been prevented or treated," he said.
The department suggests that uninsured residents go to city hospitals or community-based health centers for affordable health care.
Source: Xinhua
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