In 10 large industries and 10 large occupations in California, more than a quarter of the workforce has no healthcare coverage of any kind, according to a report released today by the Center on Policy Initiatives.

“This report takes a closer look at who the uninsured are, and they are disproportionately the people working in some of our biggest, blue-collar industries,” said Murtaza Baxamusa, CPI Research and Policy Director. “When these workers are injured or sick, they go without medical care or pay out of their pockets, which is a burden fewer and fewer can afford in the current economy.”

Construction laborers, grounds maintenance workers, mechanics, restaurant workers, maids and agricultural workers were among those least likely to have any health coverage.

The report, The Working Uninsured, Part 2, is available on CPI’s website.

CPI used data from the largest statewide health survey, conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, to determine the rate of health insurance in industry and occupation subsectors. The study found that more than 25% of workers in 10 of the largest industries and occupations — those with more than 75,000 workers — have no private or public health insurance. In seven industries and eight occupations, the percentage of uninsured is over one third.

Many smaller industries and occupations also have more than a third of workers uninsured. By contrast, nearly all workers are insured in some large, mostly white-collar industries and occupations. Some of the highest rates of insurance are in public administration, hospitals, management, consulting services, computer system design, and schools.

A CPI report last year showed an overall rate of 17% uninsured among all workers in the state — a total of 2.9 million people. Part 2 of this series examines more specific industries and occupations, to pinpoint those with higher rates of uninsured workers.

The Center on Policy Initiatives, www.onlineCPI.org, is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization focused on local policy issues affecting working people.

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