Health Care and Immigrant Children

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www.cbpp.org
Health Care and Immigrant Children
Leighton Ku April 20, 2007 ku_at_cbpp.org
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Since 1996 Health Insurance Coverage for Citizen
Children Has Improved, But It Has Worsened for
Immigrant Children
Source Current Population Survey data as
analyzed by CBPP. For children below 200 of
poverty
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Health Insurance Coverage for Children (18 or
Less)with Incomes Below 200 of Poverty, 2005
Source Analyses of March 2006 Current Population
Survey
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Complex Medicaid/SCHIP Rules for Immigrants

• Assuming they meet income and other criteria
• Citizens are fully eligible, includes naturalized
  citizens and U.S.-born children
• Legal permanent residents (LPRs) who arrived
  after 1996 are not fully eligible during 1st five
  years in US.
• Exceptions for refugees and asylees
• Many states cover legal immigrants using state
  funds
• Undocumented, recent and temporary immigrants
  eligible for Medicaid for emergency medical care,
  such as childbirth but not prenatal care.

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Immigrant Growth Among States 1990-2005
Traditional 8 or more of popn immigrant New
Growth Immigrant popn doubled
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Immigrant Growth and Coverage of Legal Immigrant
Children in Medicaid or SCHIP
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Immigrants Are Less Likely Offered Private Health
Insurance Than Citizens, But Take It When Offered
Note These are comparisons of insurance among
Latinos in California, 1999-2001. Enrico
Marcelli (Harvard Univ.) Migraciones
Internacionales, 2(4)5-36, Jul-Dec. 2004
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Health Care Access for ChildrenShare without a
Usual Source of Medical Care
Source Huang et al, Amer J Public Health 2006
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When Low-Income Immigrant Children Are Insured,
They Are More Likely to Use Preventive Health
Care and Less Likely to Use Emergency Rooms
Source Analyses of the Centers for Disease
Control and Preventions 2005 National Health
Interview Survey for children with incomes below
200 of poverty
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Average Medical Expenditures for US- and
Foreign-born Individuals and Children, 1998
Average annual per capita expenditures, adjusted
for covariates
Source Mohanty, Woollhandler, Himmelstein, et
al. 2005. Analyses of 1998 MEPS
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Precedent for Change

• 1996 welfare restrictions for legal immigrants
  also affected food stamps. Most legal permanent
  residents were made ineligible.
• Restorations enacted later as part of broader
  food stamp reforms
• In 1998, LPR children who entered before 1996 had
  food stamp eligibility restored.
• In 2002, all LPR children had food stamp
  eligibility restored.