Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Sociology

Committee Chair

Kenneth, Hudson, Ph.D.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of race and ethnicity on health insurance coverage for working age (18-61) adults in Texas. I focus on Texas for three reasons. First, Texas is the second largest state in the United States. Second, Texas is a majority-minority state where Hispanics are the largest ethnic group. Finally, Texas has not yet expanded Medicaid eligibility to individuals with family incomes under 138% of the federal poverty threshold. In this analysis, I use data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a multistage cluster sample collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. This analysis uses data collected in the odd years from 2011 through 2019. I theorize that three factors combine to disadvantage minorities in the Texas workforce: educational attainment, citizenship and employment in a nonstandard work arrangement. Multivariate analyses show that occupations that utilize nonstandard work arrangements and noncitizen labor significantly affect disparities in health coverage among Texan workers, net of the worker’s individual characteristics.

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