Health Risk Profile of Rhode Island’s Working Poor

摘要

Rhode Island (RI) has been the slowest state to rebound from the 2008 economic recession. As of December 2012, its unemployment rate was 9.9%, the highest in the nation. 1 Many who are reentering the work force are doing so in low- er-wage jobs. Often these jobs don't offer health benefits or, if so, they may be unaffordable to those on limited budgets. Several recent reports 2,3 have provided demographic char- acteristics of a vulnerable population termed the "work- ing poor," but few have reported on the health status of this special group. This report compares health data on the working poor and working non-poor. Measures of health status, health risks, chronic conditions, and access to care are examined.