Immigrant Children Less Likely to See a Doctor than the U.S.-Born Even When Insured, New Report Finds

Low-income immigrant children are less likely than their U.S.-born citizen counterparts to see a doctor even when they are insured. Similarly, immigrant adults are less likely to use emergency rooms than low-income natives, a new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report that examines health care coverage and usage among immigrants and the U.S. born finds. The report, Health Care for Immigrant Families: Current Policies and Issues, finds that low-income immigrant children with private or public health care insurance were significantly less likely to visit a doctor’s office during 2010 than their native-born counterparts – 44 percent versus 69 percent for children with private coverage, and 62 percent versus 71.5 percent for children with public coverage. Overall, whether insured or uninsured, 47 percent of low-income immigrant children reported visiting a doctor’s office during 2010 compared to 69 percent of U.S.-born children.

KJ