Stringer: Many in areas of Brooklyn and Queens lack health insurance
The top uninsured neighborhoods in New York City include 1. Sunnyside/Woodside, 2. Jackson Heights, 3. Elmhurst/Corona, 4. Bushwick, 5. Flushing, 6. Mott Haven/Hunts Point, 7. University Heights, 8. Concourse/Highbridge, 9. Sunset Park, and 10. Astoria. Map courtesy of the Office of the Comptroller
In some New York City neighborhoods, almost a quarter of residents lack health insurance.
That was one of the unsettling details uncovered in a district-by-district analysis by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer. The analysis, released on Monday, highlights the disparity between neighborhoods across the city when it comes to the rates of insurance coverage.
On average, slightly more than 10 percent of Brooklynites lack health insurance. The citywide average is 11.4 percent, or 962,000 residents.
But in some sections of Brooklyn and Queens, the rate of uninsured New Yorkers can soar to as high as 22 percent, Stringer’s analysis showed.
While only 5.7 percent of Park Slope residents lack health insurance, the rate is 22 percent in Bushwick, where more than 30,000 people lack insurance.
Sunset Park, with 16.3 percent of residents (24,503) lacking insurance, is another Brooklyn neighborhood that concerns Stringer.
In the combined District 2 neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene, 9.5 (13,074) percent lack insurance.
Stringer published his analysis on this date to coincide with the beginning of the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period, which runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 for coverage to begin on Jan. 1, 2016. (Enrollment will remain open through Jan. 31, 2015 for coverage to begin March 1, 2016.)
“Close to one million New York City residents lack even the most basic health coverage,” Stringer said in a statement. “The situation is particularly dire in neighborhoods with large immigrant and younger populations like Jackson Heights, Corona and Bushwick, where close to one in four New Yorkers don’t have health insurance.”
He added, “We want to get the word out: with the Affordable Care Act in place, getting health insurance is easier and more affordable than ever.”
The Queens districts with the highest rates of uninsured residents include Sunnyside/Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst/Corona, Flushing and Astoria.
In the Bronx, Mott Haven/Hunts Point, University Heights and Concourse/High Bridge had high levels of uninsured residents.
All community district information can be found at http://comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Poverty-and-Uninsured-Rate-by-Community-District-ACS-2014.pdf
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Brooklyn Uninsured by District/Neighborhood
Brownsville (BK 16): 12.3 percent uninsured
Crown Heights North (BK 08): 12.2 percent uninsured
Flatbush/Midwood (BK 14): 11.8 percent uninsured
Crown Heights South (BK 09): 11.8 percent uninsured
East Flatbush (BK 17): 11.2 percent
Bensonhurst (BK 11): 11.2 percent uninsured
Bay Ridge (BK 10): 10.4 percent uninsured
Sheepshead Bay: 10 percent uninsured
Coney Island (BK 13): 9.8 percent
Williamsburg/Greenpoint (BK 01): 9.6 percent
Fort Greene/Brooklyn Heights (Bk 02): 9.5 percent uninsured
Borough Park (BK 12): 9 percent
Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bk 03): 8.9 percent
East New York (Bk 05): 8.8 percent
Canarsie (BK 18): 8.7 percent
Park Slope (BK 06): 5.7 percent uninsured
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