More than two-thirds of respondents (70.5%) rated the quality of their own health as excellent (16.2%) or good (54.3%). A quarter of residents (25.3%) rated their health as fair and only 4% of respondents rated their health as poor.
The data show that perceived quality of personal health varies by socioeconomic status. Quality of personal health was lowest among those with a high school degree or less with 61% reporting good or excellent health. This increases to 71% among those with some college or an Associate’s degree, and 82% among those with a Bachelor’s or graduate degree.
As the figure below shows, there is an almost linear relationship between reported household income and quality of respondents’ health. About half of the respondents reporting incomes of $30,000 or less reported their health to be good or excellent. This increases to 85% of individuals reporting household incomes between $150,000-$200,000 to nearly all (98%) of those reporting household incomes $200,000 or more.
The relationship between age and quality of health is complex, but the youngest respondents (18-29 years) were most likely to rate their health as excellent (26.3%) compared to other age groups.
Respondents were also asked about the type of primary health insurance coverage they have. Just under half (48.4%) have government funded insurance (Medicaid, Medicare, Military or veteran’s coverage, etc.) and a third (33.8%) have private insurance through their employers. Eight percent of respondents did not have health insurance, 5.3% of respondents reported they have private insurance they purchased themselves, and 4.3% have Virginia health insurance marketplace coverage (Affordable Care/Obamacare).
Healthcare coverage in general, as well as the type of health insurance, differs across age groups. As might be expected, those respondents who are 65 and older were much more likely to report having government funded insurance like Medicare and Medicaid (85.4%) than having private insurance through an employer (11.5%). Younger respondents (18-29 years of age) were more likely to report not having health insurance (16.1%) than older respondents (0%-9.4%).
Respondents were also asked how easy or difficult it was to obtain healthcare services within the past 12 months. Forty-eight percent reported having an easy time obtaining services (27.0% thought it was easy and 21.4% thought it was very easy). Only 12.9% found it difficult (9.7%) or very difficult (3.2%) to obtain needed healthcare services.
Ease of access to healthcare services did not systematically vary across sex, race, or level of education. As shown below, there is evidence suggesting that older respondents were more likely to report having easy/very easy access to health care services. This may be the result of greater job stability, higher incomes, being established patients (versus new), or having health insurance.
There was also significant variation in perceived access to healthcare services across cities, but the results are not intuitively clear. Usually, amenities and quality of life are rated higher in wealthier cities such as Virginia Beach and Chesapeake but the opposite is true with both Portsmouth and Newport News residents reporting greater access. It should be noted that there was a small portion of respondents (8.4%) who reported that they had no need for health care services in the past year and are excluded from these comparisons.
Respondents were also asked if they are currently caring for someone who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or has a memory problem, or other health conditions or disabilities. Only 6.8% of people answered yes, that they were caring for someone with memory problems; however, 22.1% indicated they are currently caring for someone with other health conditions or disabilities.
Residents were also asked to rate their community as a place for people to live as they age. Over half of respondents rated their community as a good (44.0%) or excellent (10.7%) place to live as they age. Thirty-two percent rated their community as fair and 9.8% rated it as a poor place to live as they age. Respondents were also asked about the most important resources for seniors in their community. Health and wellness programs (26.2%), assistance with financial matters (15.3%), home health care (14.8%), and transportation assistance (14.1%) were the services most often selected.
