Health Issues Among Foreign Born Uninsured Children Visiting an Inner City Pediatric Emergency Department

To study the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of foreign born children visiting an inner city pediatric emergency department (PED) and to assess their access to care, unmet health care needs, barriers to care and follow-up care. A cross-sectional study was conducted in October and November 2006; parents of children visiting an inner city PED underwent face-to-face interview regarding their socio-economic status, access to health care, unmet medical needs and barriers to care. A follow-up telephonic interview was conducted within 1 week of the ED visit to assess compliance with follow-up care. 385 patients (Mean age 4.63 years, 51.9% male) were enrolled prospectively. 297 (77%) children had health insurance and 88 (23%) were uninsured. 38 (43%) uninsured children were foreign born. Of those uninsured, 53 (60%) were uninsured for >a year and 35 (40%) had been uninsured part year. Compared with insured children, fewer uninsured children had a regular place for medical care (89 vs. 46%, P < 0.001), a regular Primary Care Provider (95 vs. 68%, P < 0.001), and regular dental care (46 vs. 26%, P < 0.001). Almost one-third of parents of uninsured children reported a perceived barrier to care (31 vs. 8%, P < 0.001). Uninsured children, who were foreign born, were older (mean age 8.9 vs. 4.9 years, P < 0.001), primarily Spanish speaking (95 vs. 76%, P < 0.02), poorer, with household income less than 100% of the Federal poverty level and had poorer access to care. They also used the PED as their primary source of care more frequently (87 vs. 66%, P < 0.03). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, children with no health insurance, and those children who were foreign born were more likely to have poor access to care with odds ratio (95% CI) of 0.19 (0.08–0.46) and 0.35 (0.13–0.95), respectively. Conclusions: Significant proportions of uninsured children visiting our PED are born in Mexico and from low income immigrant families, many do not qualify for public insurance, have poor access to care, and use the PED for their healthcare needs. This is likely to be a growing problem in certain regions of the country requiring targeted health policy intervention.     

Children with Special Health Care Needs: How Immigrant Status is Related to Health Care Access,Health Care Utilization,and Health Status

To compare health care access, utilization, and perceived health status for children with SHCN in immigrant and nonimmigrant families. This cross-sectional study used data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey to identify 1404 children (ages 0–11) with a special health care need. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to examine relations between immigrant status and health access, utilization, and health status variables. Compared to children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in nonimmigrant families, CSHCN in immigrant families are more likely to be uninsured (10.4 vs. 4.8%), lack a usual source of care (5.9 vs. 1.9%), report a delay in medical care (13.0 vs. 8.1%), and report no visit to the doctor in the past year (6.8 vs. 2.6%). They are less likely to report an emergency room visit in the past year (30.0 vs. 44.0%), yet more likely to report fair or poor perceived health status (33.0 vs. 16.0%). Multivariate analyses suggested that the bivariate findings for children with SHCN in immigrant families largely reflected differences in family socioeconomic status, parent’s language, parental education, ethnicity, and children’s insurance status. Limited resources, non-English language, and limited health-care use are some of the barriers to staying healthy for CSHCN in immigrant families. Public policies that improve access to existing insurance programs and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care will likely decrease health and health care disparities for this population.     

The role of health insurance in explaining immigrant versus non-immigrant disparities in access to health care: Comparing the United States to Canada

Using a cross-national comparative approach, we examined the influence of health insurance on U.S. immigrant versus non-immigrant disparities in access to primary health care. With data from the 2002/2003 Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health, we gathered evidence using three approaches: 1) we compared health care access among insured and uninsured immigrants and non-immigrants within the U.S.; 2) we contrasted these results with health care access disparities between immigrants and non-immigrants in Canada, a country with universal health care; and 3) we conducted a novel direct comparison of health care access among insured and uninsured U.S. immigrants with Canadian immigrants (all of whom are insured). Outcomes investigated were self-reported unmet medical needs and lack of a regular doctor. Logistic regression models controlled for age, sex, nonwhite status, marital status, education, employment, and self-rated health. In the U.S., odds of unmet medical needs of insured immigrants were similar to those of insured non-immigrants but far greater for uninsured immigrants. The effect of health insurance was even more striking for lack of regular doctor. Within Canada, disparities between immigrants and non-immigrants were similar in magnitude to disparities seen among insured Americans. For both outcomes, direct comparisons of U.S. and Canada revealed significant differences between uninsured American immigrants and Canadian immigrants, but not between insured Americans and Canadians, stratified by nativity. Findings suggest health care insurance is a critical cause of differences between immigrants and non-immigrants in access to primary care, lending robust support for the expansion of health insurance coverage in the U.S. This study also highlights the usefulness of cross-national comparisons for establishing alternative counterfactuals in studies of disparities in health and health care.     

Public Health Insurance and Health Care Utilization for Children in Immigrant Families

Objectives To estimate the impacts of public health insurance coverage on health care utilization and unmet health care needs for children in immigrant families. Methods We use survey data from National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (2001–2005) linked to data from Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) (2003–2007) for children with siblings in families headed by at least one immigrant parent. We use logit models with family fixed effects. Results Compared to their siblings with public insurance, uninsured children in immigrant families have higher odds of having no usual source of care, having no health care visits in a 2 year period, having high Emergency Department reliance, and having unmet health care needs. We find no statistically significant difference in the odds of having annual well-child visits. Conclusions for practice Previous research may have underestimated the impact of public health insurance for children in immigrant families. Children in immigrant families would likely benefit considerably from expansions of public health insurance eligibility to cover all children, including children without citizenship. Immigrant families that include both insured and uninsured children may benefit from additional referral and outreach efforts from health care providers to ensure that uninsured children have the same access to health care as their publicly-insured siblings.     

Health Insurance Coverage of the Children of Immigrants in the United States

Objectives: This study assesses the health insurance coverage of children of immigrants in the United States and variations among immigrant groups. Method: The study uses data from the March supplements of the 1994 and 1996 Current Population Survey to compare health insurance coverage of children who report foreign parentage. Separate logistic regressions are conducted to estimate the likelihood of being covered by any insurance, public insurance, and private insurance. Results: 27.3% of all children of immigrants are without health insurance, 34.1% are on public insurance, and 44.3% have private insurance. Foreign-born children who have not yet become U.S. citizens are the most likely to be without health insurance (38.0%). Many of these children are not covered because their parents are unable to find jobs that provide coverage and Medicaid fails to enroll as many of them as possible. Overall, the children's chances of being covered by any health insurance vary little according to when their parents came to this country. However, children of recent immigrants are more likely to rely on public health insurance (40.1% vs. 24.8%) and less likely to be covered through private sources (36.8% vs. 60.6%) than those of established immigrants. Among immigrant groups, children of Haitian (48.4%) and Korean (45.3%) immigrants are at the highest risks of being uninsured. Both children of the Dominican Republic (65.9%) and Laos (83.3%) report high rates of public insurance coverage. Conclusions: Greater disparity in health insurance coverage among children of immigrants is expected once the new welfare reform bills take effect. In particular, noncitizen children, children of recent immigrants, illegal immigrants, and Dominican Republican immigrants will be affected most. Efforts aimed at reducing the harm should target these vulnerable groups.     

Beyond Affordability: The Impact of Nonfinancial Barriers on Access for Uninsured Adults in Three Diverse Communities

Most proposals to improve access for uninsured adults focus on removing financial barriers to health care. Health services researchers have long recognized, however, that access to care is a multidimensional concept consisting of both financial and nonfinancial dimensions. While financial barriers faced by those without health insurance have been well-documented, it is not known to what degree nonfinancial barriers limit access for those without coverage. In this study we sought to identify the types and frequencies of nonfinancial access barriers faced by low-income uninsured adults, as well as determine how frequently nonfinancial barriers coexist with financial access barriers in this population. We conducted a telephone survey of 1,118 low-income uninsured adults in Alameda, California, Austin, Texas, and Southern Maine who had enrolled in local access programs funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Communities in Charge initiative. Financial barriers were the most often cited barrier to access in each of the three groups, though nonfinancial barriers were often cited as well. Across all three populations, one-third to one-half of respondents with financial access barriers also cited one or more nonfinancial barriers as contributing to their problems accessing health care. Our results suggest that many uninsured adults face nonfinancial health care barriers in addition to their well-documented financial challenges. Health reform efforts must address both types of barriers in order to maximally improve access for the uninsured population.     

Higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is associated with immigrant background among children and adolescents in Germany

In recent years, a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents has been reported in countries with moderate climates. Those with an immigrant background living under these conditions are at especially high risk. To date, representative data in Germany is lacking. We analyzed 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations of 10,015 children and adolescents, aged 1-17 y, who participated in the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents. The proportion of immigrants was 25.4%, corresponding well to their percentage of the population. Among 3- to 17-y-old participants, 29% of immigrant boys and 31% of immigrant girls had 25(OH)D concentrations <25 nmol/L (severe to moderate vitamin D deficiency) compared with 18% of nonimmigrant boys and 17% of nonimmigrant girls. Furthermore, 92% of immigrant boys and 94% of immigrant girls had 25(OH)D concentrations <75 nmol/L (levels above 75 nmol/L are defined as optimal regarding various health outcomes) compared with 87% of nonimmigrants. Boys with a Turkish or Arab-Islamic background had an increased risk of having 25(OH)D concentrations <25 nmol/L compared with nonimmigrants (odds ratio [OR] 2.3; [95% CI] 1.4-3.8 and OR 7.6; [95% CI] 3.0-19.1). The same was true for girls with a Turkish (OR 5.2; [95% CI] 2.9-9.6), Arab-Islamic (OR 5.9; [95% CI] 2.5-14.0), Asian (OR 6.7; [95% CI] 2.2-19.8), or African (OR 7.8; [95% CI] 1.5-40.8) background. Supplementation of vitamin D beyond infancy, especially in high-risk groups, or fortification of food should be considered.     

State-level health care access and use among children in US immigrant families

Objectives. We examined the association between children''s state of residence and their access to health care among specific types of immigrant families: foreign-born children, US-born children with 1 foreign-born parent, US-born children with both foreign-born parents, and nonimmigrant families.Methods. We analyzed data from 12 400 children from the 2003 National Survey of Children''s Health in the 6 states with the highest proportion of immigrants (California, Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Texas).Results. Multivariable analyses indicated that among foreign-born children, those living in California, Illinois, and Texas were more likely to lack access to health care compared with those living in New York. Among foreign-born children with 1 or 2 US-born parents, Texas children were most likely to lack health insurance. Within nonimmigrant families, children from California, Florida, and Texas had significantly more access and use problems.Conclusions. Our findings document differential health care access and use among states for specific immigrant family types.The United States saw the highest 5-year period of immigration in its history between 2000 and 2005.¹ Census data indicate that 20% of children lived with a foreign-born householder in 2002, an increase from 15% since 1994, although only 4% of all US children were themselves foreign born.² In 2005, an estimated 3.1 million children lived in “mixed-status” families that included both citizen and noncitizen members, making the children''s health care access and eligibility for public benefits more complex.³ Five of 6 undocumented families with children are in this category. Children living with foreign-born householders tend to be younger and are more likely to live in poverty than those living with US-born householders.⁴ Regardless of nativity, children in immigrant families are a special population because their well-being is very much influenced by the immigrant attributes of their parents, including those of language and cultural, health care–seeking behavior, and public program access and eligibility.^5,6 Previous studies have shown that noncitizen children had the most difficulty accessing health care, followed by US-born children with at least 1 foreign-born parent, compared with nonimmigrant families.^7,8 Hence the notion of “immigrant family type” is important in immigrant health care access studies. Within the last decade, immigrants also have dispersed to many states that previously did not have a large foreign-born population.⁹Among many health issues faced by immigrants, those related to health care access and insurance are the most challenging.^10–15 Despite studies showing lower mortality and morbidity risks among immigrants compared with US-born infants, children, and adults,^16–22 other measures of health and well-being have been less favorable. In 2005, nearly 20% of children younger than 18 years with immigrant mothers were uninsured, compared with 9.1% of children with native-born mothers.¹ Child and parental birthplace have been found to affect insurance status and access to preventive health and dental services among children and adolescents in the United States.^23–25 The American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its policy statement describing the unique and complex medical and psychosocial risk faced by immigrant children and recommended that children not be denied needed services on the basis of immigration status.²⁶Recently in California, parental English proficiency has been shown to have profound effects on children''s health care access.^27,28 Even in Canada, where health insurance is universal, new immigrants lack access to formal and informal support to help them use services effectively, and lack of access has been linked to linguistic isolation.^29,30 Moreover, these children''s parents are limited in their ability to act as advocates for their children in the health care setting.^31,32Passage of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act limited immigrants’ access to many public benefits (Public Law 104-193).^8,33 Undocumented immigrants and legal immigrants within 5 years of entry into the United States are barred from receiving services other than emergency care.³⁴ This law has been shown to have the unintended consequences of deterring eligible immigrants from accessing benefits.³⁵ States are left to handle the challenge of providing care to immigrants by allocating their own resources, resulting in considerable variability in the access of immigrant care. Furthermore, the burden of care varies with the proportion of immigrants in each state, ranging from more than 27.8% in California to just 0.4% in Montana.¹ Currently, considerable variability exists on the benefits available to immigrants by state. Federal and state benefits are generally available only to US citizens, although states vary on the availability of benefits on public health insurance, State Children''s Health Insurance Program, prenatal care, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance, and state-funded Food Stamps to Legal Permanent Residents.³⁶Despite national evidence on the health care access disparities faced by immigrant families, state-specific information has been lacking.³⁷ The 2003 National Survey of Children''s Health (NSCH) was the first national survey to provide both reliable state- and national-level estimates on the health of children.³⁸ Using data from the 2003 NSCH, we studied the health status and health care access of children from immigrant families in 6 states with the highest proportion of immigrants and examined the independent effects of state of residence on health care access and use while controlling for confounding variables. To our knowledge, our study is the first that characterizes state-level differentials in health care access of children from different immigrant family types.     

Expanding the Universe of Universal Coverage: The Population Health Argument for Increasing Coverage for Immigrants

As the US recession deepens, furthering the debate about healthcare reform is now even more important than ever. Few plans aimed at facilitating universal coverage make any mention of increasing access for uninsured non-citizens living in the US, many of whom are legally restricted from certain types of coverage. We conducted a critical review of the public health literature concerning the health status and access to health services among immigrant populations in the US. Using examples from infectious and chronic disease epidemiology, we argue that access to health services is at the intersection of the health of uninsured immigrants and the general population and that extending access to healthcare to all residents of the US, including undocumented immigrants, is beneficial from a population health perspective. Furthermore, from a health economics perspective, increasing access to care for immigrant populations may actually reduce net costs by increasing primary prevention and reducing the emphasis on emergency care for preventable conditions. It is unlikely that proposals for universal coverage will accomplish their objectives of improving population health and reducing social disparities in health if they do not address the substantial proportion of uninsured non-citizens living in the US.     

Use of Preventive Dental Care Among Medicaid-Enrolled,School-Aged US Children in Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Families: Trends in Pennsylvania From 2005 Through 2010

Objectives. We describe trends in receipt of preventive dental care among Medicaid-enrolled children in Pennsylvania between 2005 and 2010, comparing the US children of immigrants with their co-ethnic peers in nonimmigrant families.Methods. We analyzed Pennsylvania Medicaid claims, birth records, and census data for children born in Pennsylvania and enrolled in Medicaid for 10 or more months during any of the calendar years assessed.Results. Receipt of preventive dental care was more likely among Latino children in immigrant families than among their peers in nonimmigrant families; also, it was more likely among White children in immigrant families than among their peers in nonimmigrant families. Rates of preventive dental care use among African American and Asian children in immigrant and nonimmigrant families were comparable. From 2005 to 2010, the percentage of Latino children in nonimmigrant families who received preventive dental care increased from 33% to 61%. Changes in other groups were significant but less dramatic.Conclusions. Receipt of preventive dental care has increased among Medicaid-enrolled children in Pennsylvania, with marked gains among Latino children. Within each racial/ethnic group, the children of immigrants were either more likely than or equally likely as children in nonimmigrant families to receive care.Dental caries is the most common chronic pediatric disease in the United States and overwhelmingly affects poor and minority children.1–3 Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show that, between 1999 and 2004, 67% of poor children aged 6 to 8 years had dental caries (teeth that had been damaged by decay).4 Among children aged 2 to 11 years, 55% of Mexican American, 43% of African American, and 39% of non-Latino White children have been shown to be affected by caries.5Because childhood caries can be prevented with regular dental care, community water fluoridation, oral hygiene, and avoidance of cariogenic foods, improving children’s oral health is a public health priority.1,5–8 The Healthy People 2020 initiative aims to decrease caries in children and adolescents by 10% and to increase the proportion of low-income children and adolescents who receive preventive dental care by 10%.9 These goals are modest and achievable, particularly given that preventive dental care coverage is available for the majority (70%) of poor children in the United States through Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment benefit.10Despite this coverage level, there has not been wide-scale access to dental care among poor, insured children.11 In 2010, only 44% of Medicaid-enrolled children aged 3 to 5 years and 49% of Medicaid-enrolled children aged 6 to 14 years received preventive dental care.12 This represents a modest increase relative to previous years. In 2008, for example, 43% of children aged 3 to 6 years and 48% of children aged 7 to 11 years who had been enrolled in fee-for-service Medicaid for the entire year received preventive dental care.13 In 2005, 33% of Medicaid-enrolled children aged 3 to 5 years and 39% of Medicaid-enrolled children aged 6 to 14 years received any preventive dental care.14Because states have variable procedures for collecting race and ethnicity data from enrollees, these analyses provide only limited insight into trends in receipt of oral health care among Medicaid-enrolled minority children.15 Prior Medicaid analyses have also failed to take into account the status of children in immigrant families, including children who are themselves immigrants or have at least one parent born outside of the United States or its territories.16 Children of immigrants are predominantly US citizens (89%) and account for 1 in 3 poor children, 78% of Asian children, and 58% of Latino children in the United States.17 They are less likely than their peers with nonimmigrant parents to use many types of medical services.18,19 For example, children in immigrant families are less likely to have a usual source of health care,18,20,21 to receive primary care in a patient-centered medical home,22 or to receive annual pediatric care.22,23 Barriers to care that are concentrated among the children of immigrants include limited English proficiency (only 56% of children in immigrant families have at least 1 English-proficient parent, as compared with 99% of other children) and lack of familiarity with the US health system.20,24,25We sought to add to the literature by examining receipt of preventive dental care among Medicaid-enrolled children in Pennsylvania, with a specific focus on US-born children of immigrants. We used parent-identified race/ethnicity data derived from birth records to examine changes from 2005 to 2010 in dental care receipt and compare US-born children of immigrants with their co-ethnic peers in nonimmigrant families. We hypothesized that children of immigrants would be disadvantaged relative to other children within each racial/ethnic group.     

Continuity of Health Insurance Coverage for Children with Special Health Care Needs

Objectives: To assess the continuity of health insurance coverage and its associated factors for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Methods: Logistic regression and proportional hazard models were estimated on monthly insurance enrollment for 5594 children in the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. CSHCN were identified using a non-categorical approach. Stratified analyses were conducted to determine whether any characteristics differentiated the effects of CSHCN status on children's coverage. Results: In 1996, more than 8% of CSHCN were uninsured for the entire year. For those who were insured in January 1996, 14% lost their coverage by December 1996. CSHCN were more likely than other children to be insured (92% vs. 89%), mainly due to their better access to public insurance (35% vs. 23%). Conversely, CSHCN were less likely than other children to stay insured if they were school-aged, non-Hispanic White, from working, low-income families or the US Midwest region. Higher parental education improved health insurance enrollment for CSHCN, whereas higher family income or having activity limitations protected them from losing coverage. Regardless of CSHCN status, being publicly insured was associated with a higher risk of losing coverage for children. Conclusions: Despite increased health care needs, a considerable proportion of CSHCN is unable to access or maintain coverage. Compared to other children, CSHCN are more likely to have coverage but no more likely to stay insured. Improving continuity of coverage for publicly insured children is needed, especially CSHCN who are more likely to obtain their coverage through public programs.     

Children''s Health Insurance Status, Access to and Utilization of Health Services, and Unmet Health Needs in a Rural Alabama School System

PURPOSE: This study examines the relationship between children's health insurance status and utilization of health services, establishment of a medical home, and unmet health needs over a 3-year period (1996-1998) in a rural Alabama K-12 school system. METHODS: As part of a children's health insurance outreach program, questionnaires were administered to parents of 754 children regarding health and health care access. In addition, noninvasive head-to-toe physical assessments of children were conducted on-site at 4 schools. FINDINGS: A relationship between health care utilization and insurance status was observed. Results found that insured children had 1.183 (P < .0115) times the number of medical visits as uninsured children. Among uninsured children, the time since last dental visit was 1.6 (P < .001) times longer than that of insured children. Also, insured children were 5.21 times more likely than uninsured (P < .0001) to report having a medical home. No significant differences between insured and uninsured children were found regarding unmet health needs as measured by referrals made after the children's physical assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Child health coverage is an important determining factor in the ability of families to access and utilize health care services. These findings have implications for populations in similar rural communities across the nation.     

The role of health insurance on Pap smear and mammography utilization by immigrants living in the United States

BACKGROUND: Nearly half of recent immigrants to the United States lack health insurance. Access to cancer screening services for this group is problematic. We examine the role of health insurance and having a usual source of care (USC) on Pap smear and mammography utilization by immigrant women using a nationally representative sample. METHODS: We used a telephone survey that oversampled racial and ethnic minorities. We analyzed data on 3,622 women age 18-70. We classified the 822 foreign-born women as recent immigrants if they had resided in the United States for under 10 years; LT immigrants were those with a longer tenure. RESULTS: Among recent immigrants, 73% and 78% (SE 4%) reported a Pap smear or mammogram, respectively, in the previous 2 years versus 89% and 89% of U.S.-born women (P < 0.05 for both comparisons). Among those with insurance or a USC, differences in screening between recent immigrants and U.S.-born women were four percentage points or less and not statistically significant. However, uninsured recent immigrants were less likely than uninsured U.S.-born women to have Pap smears [60% (SE 7%) versus 71%, P < 0.05]. Adjusting for differences in sociodemographics, health attitudes or beliefs, patient or provider communication, and the medical care environment, insurance remained the strongest predictor of screening. CONCLUSION: Disparities in screening were greatly attenuated among the insured population. Increasing awareness of available safety net sources of care may also improve cancer screening among uninsured recent immigrants.     

Young Adults' Health Care Utilization and Expenditures Prior to the Affordable Care Act

PurposeTo examine young adults' health care utilization and expenditures prior to the Affordable Care Act.MethodsWe used 2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to (1) compare young adults' health care utilization and expenditures of a full-spectrum of health services to children and adolescents and (2) identify disparities in young adults' utilization and expenditures, based on access (insurance and usual source of care) and other sociodemographic factors, including race/ethnicity and income.ResultsYoung adults had (1) significantly lower rates of overall utilization (72%) than other age groups (83%–88%, p < .001), (2) the lowest rate of office-based utilization (55% vs. 67%–77%, p < .001) and (3) higher rate of emergency room visits compared with adolescents (15% vs. 12%, p < .01). Uninsured young adults had high out-of-pocket expenses. Compared with the young adults with private insurance, the uninsured spent less than half on health care ($1,040 vs. $2,150/person, p < .001) but essentially the same out-of-pocket expenses ($403 vs. $380/person, p = .57). Among young adults, we identified significant disparities in utilization and expenditures based on the presence/absence of a usual source of care, race/ethnicity, home language, and sex.ConclusionsYoung adults may not be utilizing the health care system optimally by having low rates of office-based visits and high rates of emergency room visits. The Affordable Care Act provision of insurance for those previously uninsured or under-insured will likely increase their utilization and expenditures and lower their out-of-pocket expenses. Further effort is needed to address noninsurance barriers and ensure equal access to health services.     

Health Insurance and Access to Care for Families with Young Children in California, 2001–2005: Differences by Immigration Status

Objectives To examine differences and trends in health insurance coverage and access to care for California families by immigration status. Methods Cross-sectional data on 37,236 families with young children <18 years of age from the 2001, 2003 and 2005 California Health Interview Survey are used to assess trends in health insurance and access to care for children and their parents by four immigration dyads: (1) both are Citizens; (2) child is a legal resident/citizen, and parent is legal resident (Documented); (3) child is a citizen, and parent is undocumented (Mixed); and (4) both are Undocumented. Results Before and after adjustment for covariates, only children in Undocumented dyads were less likely than Citizen dyads to have insurance (OR = 0.20, CI: 0.16–0.26) and all three measures of access: physician visits (OR = 0.69, CI: 0.52–0.91), dental visits (OR = 0.47, CI: 0.35–0.63), and a regular source of care (OR = 0.51, CI: 0.37–0.69). Parents in all non-Citizen dyads had poorer access than Citizen dyads across all measures, with the exception of dental visits and a regular source for parents in Documented dyads. Children of all dyads except Citizens were more likely to be insured in 2005 vs. 2001. The largest gain was for undocumented dyad children with 2.77 times higher odds (CI: 1.62–4.75) of being insured in 2005 vs. 2001. All children dyads except Mixed were also more likely to have a physician visit. For parents, there was only a decrease in insurance coverage for Citizen dyads (OR = 0.79, CI: 0.67–0.93) and few changes in access. Conclusions While there were relatively few disparities and some improvements in insurance coverage and access for children in California (except for undocumented children), concomitant changes for parents were not observed. Without attention to the family in health care reforms, disparities may not fully resolve for children and may continue or even increase for parents.     

Uninsurance,Underinsurance, and Health Care Utilization in Mexico by US Border Residents

Using data from the 2008 Cross-Border Utilization of Health Care Survey, we examined the relationship between United States (US) health insurance coverage plans and the use of health care services in Mexico by US residents of the US-Mexico border region. We found immigrants were far more likely to be uninsured than their native-born counterparts (63 vs. 27.8 %). Adults without health insurance coverage were more likely to purchase medications or visit physicians in Mexico compared to insured adults. However, adults with Medicaid coverage were more likely to visit dentists in Mexico compared to uninsured adults. Improving health care access for US residents in the southwestern border region of the country will require initiatives that target not only providing coverage to the large uninsured population but also improving access to health care services for the large underinsured population.     

Urban and Rural Differences in Health Insurance and Access to Care

This study considers differences in access to health care and insurance characteristics between residents of urban and rural areas. Data were collected from a telephone survey of 10,310 randomly selected households in Minnesota. Sub-samples of 400 group-insured, individually insured, intermittently insured, and uninsured people, were asked about access to health care. Those with group or individual insurance were also asked about the costs and characteristics of their insurance policies.
Rural areas had a higher proportion of uninsured and individually insured respondents than urban areas. Among those who purchased insurance through an employer, rural residents had fewer covered benefits than urban residents (5.1 vs 5.7, P < 0.01) and were more likely to have a deductible (80% versus 40%, P < 0.01). In spite of this, rural uninsured residents were more likely to have a regular source of care than urban residents (69% versus 51%, P < 0.01), and were less likely to have delayed care when they thought it was necessary (21% versus 32%, P<0.01). These differences were confirmed by multivariate analysis.
Rural residents with group insurance have higher out-of-pocket costs and fewer benefits. Uninsured rural residents may have better access to health care than their urban counterparts. Attempts to expand access to health care need to consider how the current structure of employment-based insurance creates inequities for individuals in rural areas as well as the burdens this structure may place on rural providers.     

National trends in health insurance coverage of pregnant and reproductive-age women, 2000 to 2009

PurposeHealth insurance facilitates financial access to health services, including prenatal and preconception care. This study characterized changes in health insurance coverage among reproductive-age women in the United States from 2000 to 2009.MethodsData from female respondents (ages 18–49) to the National Health Interview Surveys, 2000 to 2009 (n = 207,968), including those pregnant when surveyed (n = 3,204), were used in a repeated cross-sectional design. Changes over time were estimated using longitudinal regression models.Main FindingsOf the reproductive-age women in this study, 25% were uninsured at some point in the prior year. Ten percent of pregnant women reported currently being uninsured, and 27% and 58% reported Medicaid coverage or private health insurance, respectively. Among women who were not pregnant, 19% were currently uninsured, 8% had Medicaid, and 68% had private coverage. From 2000 to 2009, an increasing percentage of reproductive-age women reported having gone without health insurance in the past year. Controlling for sociodemographic and health variables, the chances that a reproductive-age woman had been uninsured increased by approximately 1.5% annually (p < .001), and did not differ between pregnant women and those who were not pregnant. The odds that an insured pregnant woman had Medicaid coverage increased 7% per year over the study period (p < .001), whereas the odds of private coverage decreased.ConclusionReproductive-age women are increasingly at risk of being uninsured, which raises concerns about access to prenatal and preconception care. Among pregnant women, access to private health insurance has decreased, and state Medicaid programs have covered a growing percentage of women. Health reform will likely impact future trends.     

Explaining public support (or lack thereof) for extending health coverage to undocumented immigrants

While the recent passage of health care reform is estimated to provide millions of currently uninsured Americans with access to health coverage, undocumented immigrants are excluded from federal mandates. Since federal reform excludes undocumented immigrants, state governments will largely decide the fate of this vulnerable population. This article investigates public support for including undocumented immigrants in state health care reform efforts in New Mexico. Understanding the public's perception of extending health coverage to this population is important because public opinion influences health policy formation at the state and federal levels. Our results suggest that there is little support for including undocumented immigrants (or recent migrants from other parts of the United States) in state health care reform, particularly when compared with other segments of the New Mexican population, such as the homeless or unemployed. Our discussion highlights the economic and public health consequences of excluding undocumented immigrants from coverage options.