According to the new report by the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles,low-income women not yet old enough for Medicare are four times more likely to be in poor or fair health--especially those in middle age and from ethnic backgrounds.

The study concluded that for lower-income women, "their limited discretionary income, combined with their poorer health status, reinforces the urgency of effective and consistent health insurance coverage and access to health services for all."

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