Health Coverage For Working Moms

6 Pages 1583 Words

Health Coverage Instability for Mothers in Working Families

This article uncovers the precariousness of the health insurance coverage for women in working families. A study was done over a three year period on the stability of 1,667 women. The findings revealed that close to one half of the low-income women experienced a flux in their health insurance over the three year study. This study shows how low-income working mothers just can’t get a break and the lack of support our government gives them. The health insurance system today whether it be employer-based, TANF (welfare), or Medicaid is so complex that most poor mothers don’t get the help they need. This article touches upon many aspects of how, when, and why women in working families seem to have so many problems with health insurance coverage. “Nearly one-half of low-income women experienced health coverage instability over the three year study period, and low- income women with poor education, single marital status, low work hours, and frequent job changes were at even greater risk of coverage instability”(Anderson, 2004). There is a huge emphasis on social workers to reform, administrate, and educate those who are affected by the fluctuations in the health insurance policies.
The main aspects of this article expose the real data of working women struggling to hold onto their health insurance. This study differs from the rest because it takes place over a period of three years. “This method captures the dynamic movement in and out of coverage and provides a measure of the percentage of working women affected by episodes of uninsurance in a given period ”(Anderson, 2004). The length of this study gives us a better idea of how many women today are affected by the loss of insurance or the difficulties with welfare and Medicaid. The range of women in the study included 390 black, 309 Hispanic, and 968 non-Hispanic white mothers. Their age range was from 32-39 years...