The information shouldn’t shock anyone but recent research by the Nielsen company gives a more hands-on sense of the haves and have-nots of health insurance.

The company estimates 78 percent of Americans have health insurance. Those who are insured “tend disproportionately to have six-figure incomes, college degrees and white-collar jobs.” In contrast, the uninsured “tend disproportionately to have modest educations, work at blue-collar jobs, earn below $25,000 a year and live in low-rise apartments.” South Dakota falls below the national average. There’s also an ethnic element as almost 25 percent of those without health insurance are African-American or Hispanic.

As I say, none of that is probably surprising. Perhaps the part of the research to which people can most directly relate is a “what’s hot” and “what’s not” analysis of the insured. The research indicates the insured like golf, gardening, classical music, opera and Consumer Reports and do their shopping at Land’s End. At the other corresponding end of the spectrum are horse racing, bingo, rap, karaoke, Soap Opera Weekly and Wal-Mart. The material isn’t clear on whether the latter is based on low ratings by the insured or high ratings from the uninsured.

In either event, it seems fairly clear that, as with many other things in society, the health insurance divide is in large part an economic one.

(Tim Gebhart writes about books, culture and issues at A Progressive on the Prairie.)

About Tim Gebhart:

Tim Gebhart, whose blog de guerre is A Progressive on the Prairie, practices law in Sioux Falls. Neither anyone in his law firm nor his clients, family or friends should be blamed for anything he says here. Like as not, they probably don't agree with him.

Tags: health care, Insurance, politics