UCLA research reveals how a year of change affected Californians ’ health

Although more Californians than ever had health insurance in 2020, disparities in access to health care among the state ’s racial and ethnic groups was magnified during a year of unprecedented challenges and changes.Those are among the key findings of the latestCalifornia Health Interview Survey, which is conducted by theUCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The survey included responses from 22,661 California households, including 21,949 adults, 1,365 adolescents and 3,548 children.“This is one of the most important data releases in the survey’s 20-year history because it sheds light on how impactful the pandemic was on multi-year trends in California for health-related behaviors and access to health care, as well as unfair treatment due to race or ethnicity,” saidTodd Hughes, director of the California Health Interview Survey.The findings will be discussed in a webinartoday, Sept. 22, at 12 noon PDT.According to the survey:21.6% of Californians delayed or forewent medical care in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the phenomenon was more pronounced among adults 65 and older, 44.2% of whom said they delayed or forewent care.94.0% of Californians had health insurance in 2020 — the highest percentage ever recorded in the survey. The figure was 92.7% in 2019, and 85.4% in 2001, when the survey began.6.4% of Black adults and 4.2% of Asian adults experienced “unfair treatment” based on their race or ethnicity, more than any other racial and ethnic groups.19.3% of ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news