Single mothers in California: understanding their health insurance coverage.

A Publication of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research More than one in four California women who are single mothers is uninsured, one-and-a-half times the rate for married mothers. This Policy Brief reports on health insurance coverage of single mothers ages 19-64 during the years 1998-1999 in California. Health insurance coverage facilitates access to and use of health services. However, the more than 1 million adult women in California who are single parents face numerous obstacles to obtaining coverage. They are disproportionately affected by changes in public policy, the economy, and the labor market, all factors related to coverage. Expanding Healthy Families to include parents, adding incentives for employers to offer job-based coverage, and better supporting safety-net providers are among the actions needed to maintain and improve coverage and access to care for single mothers.