The ranks of the voiceless poor are
growing in New Mexico…
- The largest group of factors that determine a person's heatlh (53%) are the lifestyle choices that one makes. Health can be greatly improved through preventative and self-care measures.
- Chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease make up five of the six leading causes of death in the U.S. and New Mexico, and are responsible for over 60% of all deaths in New Mexico.
- Prevention is the best known way to lower chronic disease rates.
- 21.6% of New Mexicans are uninsured, which is the second highest rate of uninsured people in the United States.
- It is estimated that 45,000 people in the United States die each year due to having insufficinet or no insurance.
- Approximately 38% of adults in the United States use complementary alternative medicine.
- New Mexico's poverty rate was 18.6% in 2010. The poverty rate, and associated income inequality has a greater impact on overall health status than any other single indiccator.
- Living at less that 200% of the federal poverty level imposes a greater societal health burden in the U.S. than either tocacco use or obesity.
- Health disparities in New Mexico are persisting and even increasing in some areas. With almost half of our population identifying as Hispanic/Latino (46.3%), health disparities are an issue that affects many of us.
- "Adults in low- and moderate-income families are more likely to be uninsured, to lack a regular source of health care, and to struggle to get the health care they need compared ot those in higher-income families." -the Commonwealth Fund
- "The U.S. health system is the most expensive in the world, but comparative analyses consistently show the United States underperforms relative to other contries on most dimensions of performance. Among the seven nations sutdies–Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdon, and the United States–the U.S. ranks last overall." -the Commonwealth Fund
Sources: (2011) The state of health in New Mexico 2011. New Mexico Department of Health; The Commonwealth Fund, June 23, 2010; National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.