Abstract
Rural Latino populations continue to grow in part due to relocation of food processing industries to rural America along with other manufacturing and large retail stores. We use data from the Current Population Survey to examine the labor force participation of rural Latino population and the role rural employers play in providing health insurance coverage. We found that while rural Latinos are more likely to be uninsured the meat packing industry has higher health insurance coverage rates than other rural employers such as construction and retail. Local communities recruiting new businesses to their rural communities need to explore the role that employers will play in providing health insurance coverage. Lack of adequate coverage will have an impact on the income resources and day-to-day activities of physicians hospitals and traditional safety net providers.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 181-195 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of Community Health |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2005 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Lynn A. Blewett, PhD is Associate Professor in the Division of Health Services Research and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota and Director of the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), a research policy center supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Michael Davern, PhD is Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Services Research and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota and Research Associate with SHADAC. Holly Rodin, MPA is a Research Assistant with SHADAC.
Keywords
- Health insurance coverage
- Rural Latinos
- Rural employers
- Safety net
