According to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, there are about 1.74 million uninsured children in California. These children are more likely than insured children to go without needed health care services, even when they have serious health conditions. The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research estimates that the remainder are undocumented children who are not eligible for these public programs. The employment and income of a child's parents play a major role in determining whether a child has health insurance. Workers in large firms are more likely to be covered by health insurance than those in small firms.
Employers expect employees to carry more of the premium cost burden of family coverage.
In firms with 100 or more employees, average monthly premium contributions for family coverage increased 79 percent between 1988 and 1993. Currently, there are a number of different groups in California attempting to develop new ways for employers and employees to access low-cost health insurance. Combined, these purchasing pools cover about 8 percent of the state's insured workforce. In addition, professional, trade and business associations may form pools to purchase group health insurance for their members' employees and dependents. Public sector strategies .