Health Affairs
Volume 34, Issue 5, 2014, Pages 840-847

Assessing health care services used by California's undocumented immigrant population in 2010 (Article) (Open Access)

Pourat N. , Wallace S.P. , Hadler M.W. , Ponce N.
  • a UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Department of Health Policy and Management, United States, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
  • b UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Department of Health Policy and Management, United States, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
  • c UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Department of Health Policy and Management, United States
  • d UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Department of Health Policy and Management, United States, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Abstract

Undocumented immigrants were excluded from the health benefit Marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act partly because of claims that they contribute to problems such as high costs and emergency department (ED) crowding. This article examines the likely health care use and costs of undocumented immigrants in California in 2009-10. Using data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), we developed a model that estimated the state's adult and child undocumented immigrant population, since the survey does not explicitly inquire about undocumented status. The survey also provided information on insurance status, doctor visits, and ED visits in the previous year.We found that undocumented immigrants in California, and the uninsured among them, had fewer or similar numbers of doctor visits, ED visits, and preventive services use compared to US citizens and other immigrant groups. Allowing undocumented immigrants to purchase insurance in the Marketplaces and ensuring receipt of low-cost preventive services can contribute to lower premiums and reduce resource strains on safety-net providers. © 2014 Project HOPE.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

Safety-net Providers information processing immigrant medically uninsured Cost benefit analysis economics population health care policy insurance health insurance human Insurance Coverage statistics and numerical data health service emergency ward United States health care cost Humans Adolescent California Infant, Newborn male preschool child patient referral Infant preventive health service Child, Preschool newborn Referral and Consultation female Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act medical information health services safety net hospital Article health care utilization adult migration emergency health service utilization Utilization Review Emergency Service, Hospital Transients and Migrants Health Services Misuse crowding (area) cost-benefit analysis Data Collection Child

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84899855395&doi=10.1377%2fhlthaff.2013.0615&partnerID=40&md5=f955c4881f3f43ddf2b2b09293cfc090

DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0615
ISSN: 02782715
Cited by: 34
Original Language: English