Search: Uninsured & Underinsured

Last year, the number of Californians who became unemployed and lost their health insurance increased, bringing the total number of uninsured state residents to 8.4 million, according to a study released on Monday by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the Los Angeles Times' "L.A. Now" reports.

With almost a third of its residents with no form of health insurance, Shasta County tops the list of all California counties with the highest percentage of uninsured patients, researchers said in a new study released this week.

The number of uninsured patients treated at public hospital systems increased 23% from 2008 to 2009, resulting in a severe financial strain on the system that may force hospitals to close their doors, according to the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems.

Nearly 1 in 4 Californians under age 65 had no health insurance last year, according to a new report, as soaring unemployment propelled vast numbers of once-covered workers into the ranks of the uninsured. The state's uninsured population jumped to 8.2 million in 2009, up from 6.4 million in 2007, marking the highest number over the last decade, investigators from UCLA's Center for Health Policy Research said.

Over the past 21 years, the percent of uninsured Californians under age 65 has continued to rise as employer-sponsored health insurance has declined. Between 1987 and 2008, employer-sponsored coverage declined 9%. Although Medicaid and individually purchased coverage partially offset this decline, more than 20% of Californians remain uninsured.