Lack of Health Coverage Among US Veterans From 1987 to 2004

Bibliographic Data

ID11029613
AuthorsDavid U Himmelstein (0000-0002-2394-4915, David U. Himmelstein, Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and Steffie Woolhandler are with the Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass. J. Wesley Boyd is with the Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance/ Harvard Medical School, Cambridge.), Karen E Lasser (0000-0003-3777-6075, David U. Himmelstein, Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and Steffie Woolhandler are with the Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass. J. Wesley Boyd is with the Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance/ Harvard Medical School, Cambridge.), Danny Mccormick (David U. Himmelstein, Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and Steffie Woolhandler are with the Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass. J. Wesley Boyd is with the Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance/ Harvard Medical School, Cambridge.), David H Bor (David U. Himmelstein, Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and Steffie Woolhandler are with the Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass. J. Wesley Boyd is with the Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance/ Harvard Medical School, Cambridge.), J Wesley Boyd (0000-0002-3801-1114, David U. Himmelstein, Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and Steffie Woolhandler are with the Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass. J. Wesley Boyd is with the Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance/ Harvard Medical School, Cambridge.), Steffie Woolhandler (0000-0002-8965-1058, David U. Himmelstein, Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and Steffie Woolhandler are with the Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass. J. Wesley Boyd is with the Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance/ Harvard Medical School, Cambridge.)
Year2007
Volume97
Issue12
Pages2199-2203
Publication date2007-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2006.106302
PMID17971547
PMCIDPMC2089114
OpenAlexW1983842300
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited9

Objectives. Veterans Administration health care enrollment is restricted to veterans with service-connected problems and those who are poor. We sought to determine how many veterans were uninsured, trends in veterans’ coverage, and whether uninsured veterans lacked access to medical care. Methods. We analyzed annual data from 2 federal surveys, the Current Population Survey for the years 1988 to 2005 and the National Health Interview Survey for 2002 to 2004. Results. Nearly 1.8 million veterans were uninsured and not receiving Veterans Administration care in 2004. The proportion of working-age veterans lacking coverage peaked in 1993 at 14.2%, fell to 9.9% in 2000, and rose steadily to 12.7% in 2004. Uninsured veterans had substantial access problems; 51.4% had no usual source of care (vs 8.9% of insured veterans), and 26.5% reported failing to get needed care because of the cost (vs 4.3% of insured veterans). Conclusions. Many US veterans are uninsured and lack adequate access to health care. Expanded funding for veterans’ care is urgently needed; only national health insurance could guarantee coverage to both veterans and their family members

Environmental health · MEDLINE · Political science · Economic and Financial Impacts of Cancer · Healthcare Policy and Management · Law · Medicine · Primary Care and Health Outcomes · Gerontology

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